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stickup

or stick-up

[ stik-uhp ]
/ ˈstɪkˌʌp /
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noun Informal.
a holdup; robbery.
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Origin of stickup

First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase stick up
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stickup in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stickup

stick-up

noun
slang, mainly US a robbery at gunpoint; hold-up
verb stick up (adverb)
(tr) slang, mainly US to rob, esp at gunpoint
(intr foll by for) informal to support or defendstick up for oneself
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with stickup

stick up

1

Project from a surface, as in That little cowlick of his sticks up no matter what you do. [Early 1400s]

2

Put up a poster or notice, as in Will you stick up this announcement on the bulletin board? [Late 1700s]

3

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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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