stick-up
noun
a robbery at gunpoint; hold-up
stick-up
Britishnoun
verb
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slang (tr) to rob, esp at gunpoint
-
informal to support or defend
stick up for oneself
stick up
Idioms
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Project from a surface, as in That little cowlick of his sticks up no matter what you do . [Early 1400s]
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Put up a poster or notice, as in Will you stick up this announcement on the bulletin board? [Late 1700s]
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Rob, especially at gunpoint, as in The gang concentrated on sticking up liquor stores and gas stations . This usage, dating from the mid-1800s, gave rise to the colloquial phrase, stick 'em up , a robber's order to a victim to raise his or her hands above the head. [1930s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Freddie Mercury, a young pit bull mix — brown, with pretty chestnut eyes and big, stick-up ears — was adopted from the Philly Bully Team as a happy, friendly puppy.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 14, 2022
Omar was based on stick-up men Simon and Burns had encountered in real life, but Williams made the character his own.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 2, 2022
Deutsche Bank then had to acknowledge the size of this government stick-up as its stock price proceeded to drop more than 20% in a fortnight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2016
This way, the inappropriate joke is never entered into the record, but the stick-up is preserved for a judge and a jury to see.
From The Verge ● Aug. 14, 2014
“Oh, but Taff is such a solemn old gentleman with his stick-up collar and his cane that he ought to take care of me, father!”
From Menhardoc by C.J. Staniland
It comes down to whether gamers have enough awareness to stick up for their rights, or they want an industry that offers less choice at a higher cost.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
For decades, Mark Mano’s brother, Barry Mano, would point to that night in Chicago as the moment he decided he needed to do something to stick up for the beleaguered class of sports officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
This doesn’t mean you don’t stick up for yourself now.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025
“He always said he was trying to stick up for the little guy against the government,” said Doug Haines, a Hollywood resident who worked with Silverstein on more than a dozen lawsuits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
Hannah holds a Twizzlers candy stick up to my face.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
