sticker

American  

[stik-er] / ˈstɪk ər /

noun

• stickers
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stickers
  plural

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

See Examples For:

sticker stickers

Consumers are especially likely to feel the sticker shock when booking flights for busy travel days.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

My $1,330.13 was, in other words, the accumulated sticker price of my particular trail through the stacks.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

The Tennessee Volunteers will honor Dolly Parton with sticker patches on their football helmets all season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

There is also a sticker on the fridge saying it should be kept at -4, a poster saying the daily special is priced at £2.05 and a taxi number featuring the area code 638.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The lot attendant points us to the visitor section since we don’t have a parking sticker, which means a long walk to my building.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

For much of the past 25 years, each anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks has arrived with signs and stickers reminding people to “never forget.”

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

By last week, when Chapman stopped counting, “yes” votes topped 100, beating 72 opposed and a smattering of stickers on the center line for undecided.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Instead they take still images of vehicles, capturing the make, model, color, license plate data and other distinguishing features such as bumper stickers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Shoppers will also win prizes along the way, such as tote bags, pins, stickers and a free audiobook.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Any other day—except Sunday, when the museum was closed—Aru would help hand out visitor stickers.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Related Words

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