sticker

American  

[stik-er] / ˈstɪk ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that sticks.

2. an adhesive label.

3. Informal. sticker price.

4. something, as a problem or riddle, that puzzles or nonpluses one.

5. Slang. a knife, especially one used as a weapon by a criminal.

6. a worker who kills animals in a slaughterhouse by piercing the jugular vein with a pointed instrument.

7. a bur, thorn, or the like.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the sticker price of an automobile.

   Customers are experiencing sticker shock at the high price of new cars.

verb (used with object)

1. to place a sticker on.

sticker British  

/ ˈstɪkə /

noun

1. an adhesive label, poster, or paper

2. a person or thing that sticks

3. a persevering or industrious person

4. something prickly, such as a thorn, that clings to one's clothing, etc

5. informal something that perplexes

6. informal a knife used for stabbing or piercing

---

Etymology

Origin of sticker

First recorded in 1575–85; stick ² + -er ¹

Explanation

A sticker is a label or a decoration with a sticky back, so it can be pasted anywhere. If you're a big fan of superheroes, you might cover your notebooks with Wonder Woman stickers. Sticker usually refers to the kitten stickers your brother sticks on his bedroom windows or the adhesive labels that you peel off your banana. Some plants also have stickers (also known as burrs, prickles, or thorns) — the kind that get stuck in your sweater after a walk in the woods. The term sticker price means the listed price for a car or some other item offered for sale.

Example Sentences

Puerto Rico also relies heavily on oil for generating power, but Cathy Kunkel, a consultant with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said its residents aren’t yet facing the same sticker shock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

It cited the force as saying that products that may have been tampered with could be identified by a white sticker with a red circle on their base.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

“Maybe the sticker shock kind of started wearing off,” he said Sunday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

But at the end of 2024, with Jeep and Ram dealers in revolt over high sticker prices, Tavares and the company’s board agreed to part ways.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Pulling up to the gate, Bull studied the young PFC who stared at the unfamiliar bumper sticker on the front of the car.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• amount
• bill
• cost
• demand
• discount
• estimate
• expenditure
• expense
• fare
• fee
• figure
• output
• pay
• payment
• premium
• rate
• return
• tariff
• valuation
• worth