glue

American  

[gloo] / glu /

noun

1. a hard, impure, protein gelatin, obtained by boiling skins, hoofs, and other animal substances in water, that when melted or diluted is a strong adhesive.

2. any of various solutions or preparations of this substance, used as an adhesive.

3. any of various other solutions or preparations that can be used as adhesives.

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verb (used with object)

glued, gluing

1. to join or fasten with glue.

   Synonyms:

   plaster, cement, stick, gum, paste

2. to cover or smear (something) with glue (sometimes followed byup ).

3. to fix or attach firmly with or as if with glue; make adhere closely.

   to glue a model ship together.

glue British  

/ ɡluː /

noun

1. any natural or synthetic adhesive, esp a sticky gelatinous substance prepared by boiling animal products such as bones, skin, and horns

2. any other sticky or adhesive substance

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verb

1. (tr) to join or stick together with or as if with glue

Other Word Forms

• gluelike adjective
• gluer noun
• gluey adjective
• reglue verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of glue

1300–50; (noun) Middle English glu, gleu < Old French glu < Latin glūt- (stem of glūs ); cognate with Greek gloiós gum, anything sticky; (v.) Middle English glywen, glewen, derivative of the noun

Explanation

Glue is a liquid adhesive, used to stick two items together. A little kid may use Elmer's glue to decorate an art project, and you may use Krazy Glue to repair a mug's broken handle. Whatever the case, you hope the glue sticks. Most glue comes in a squeeze bottle and is used in small drips and lines to paste one material to another, but some glue comes in solid sticks that aren't as messy. When you stick one thing to another with glue, you glue it. The Old French source of glue is glu, from the Latin gluten, which means both "glue" and "beeswax."

Example Sentences

When Novartis scientists published a paper in July 2024 for one of the most promising new classes of drugs, called molecular glue, Chinese drug scouts took notice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

These proteins are crucial for maintaining cell-cell contacts -- which glue cells together.

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

"They were the life and soul of the party, they were the Queen & King of our family. They were the glue that held us all together."

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

“My lipstick was glue stick,” she sings in “Lipstuck,” “it sealed my fate, not even able to communicate.”

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

When the glue dries, it cracks, looks like skin peeling off.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Related Words

• cement
• paste
• plaster