stick out

British  

verb

1. to project or cause to project

2. informal (tr) to endure (something disagreeable) (esp in the phrase stick it out )

3. informal to be extremely obvious

4. (intr) to insist on (a demand), refusing to yield until it is met

   the unions stuck out for a ten per cent wage rise

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stick out Idioms  

1. Also, stick out a mile or like a sore thumb . Be very prominent or conspicuous, as in Dad's funny hat made him stick out in the crowd , or That purple house sticks out a mile , or John's lie sticks out like a sore thumb . The first term dates from the mid-1500s, the variants from the first half of the 1900s. The variant using thumb alludes to the propensity for holding an injured thumb stiffly, making it stand out (and thereby risking further injury).

2. Continue doing something, endure something, as in I know you don't like it but you have to stick out the job for another month . [Late 1600s] A variant is stick it out , as in His new play's boring, but since he's my cousin we'd better stick it out . [Late 1800s] Also see stick it , def. 1.

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Example Sentences

The head and raised arms of a doll stick out of the left side of the hoodie’s kangaroo pocket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Those that have been left behind stick out like sore hitchhiker’s thumbs, which helps explain recent activist interest.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

“I stick out like a sore thumb because I got my beautiful cowboy boots here in the Garden State,” he said, before turning serious.

From Slate • Dec. 8, 2025

Another couple of factors stick out, looping us back to those Mourinho comparisons.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025

I begin a curtsy before I remember myself and awkwardly stick out a hand.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• bulge
• bulge out
• jut out
• poke out
• protrude
• stand out