glue

[ gloo ]
See synonyms for glue 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use glue in a sentence

  • Yuh want t' keep your eye glued t' that peep-glass in the mornin', and not overlook no motions.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • She made him a stately courtesy for the benefit of the three faces glued against the panes, but her words were incongruous.

  • At the minute, I set the shadow between the noon lines, levelled it with thin bits of match underneath, and glued it down.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • Having glued this onto the body, I was ready for the head, and I had some difficulty in making up my mind which head to use.

    The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank Baum
  • The upright is then placed in the turned-out parts of the caps and either glued or fastened with screws.

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