glue

[ gloo ]
See synonyms for: gluegluedgluinggluelike on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

verb (used with object),glued, glu·ing.
  1. to join or fasten with glue.

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

  1. to fix or attach firmly with or as if with glue; make adhere closely: to glue a model ship together.

Origin of glue

1
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

Other words for glue

Other words from glue

  • gluelike, adjective
  • gluer, noun
  • re·glue, verb (used with object), re·glued, re·glu·ing.

Words Nearby glue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use glue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for glue

glue

/ (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

verbglues, gluing, glueing or glued
  1. (tr) to join or stick together with or as if with glue

Origin of glue

1
C14: from Old French glu, from Late Latin glūs; compare Greek gloios

Derived forms of glue

  • gluelike, adjective
  • gluer, noun
  • gluey, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012