stuck

American  

[stuhk] / stʌk /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of stick.

---

idioms

1. stuck on, infatuated with.

   He met her only once and is already stuck on her.

stuck British  

/ stʌk /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of stick 2

---

adjective

1. informal baffled or nonplussed

2. slang (foll by on) keen (on) or infatuated (with)

3. informal

   1. to perform (a task) with determination

   2. to attack (a person) verbally or physically

Other Word Forms

• self-stuck
  adjective

Explanation

Stuck describes something that's frozen or fixed in one place and can't be moved. If your foot gets stuck in the mud, it means you can't get your foot out of its messy trap. The lid of a jar can be stuck, and your car can get stuck in traffic; either way, the thing that's stuck isn't going anywhere. You can also use stuck when you can't figure out what to do: you can be stuck on an especially hard math problem or feel stuck in a complicated relationship. The verb stick comes from the Old English stician, pierce or remain fastened.

Example Sentences

More: Stuck in ‘survival spending’? 5 ways to build wealth even when the odds seem stacked against you.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

"Did a bit less cooking in the offseason this year. Stuck to plastic silverware instead of metal stuff," he joked.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

When the furnishings were displayed at the Paris Exposition of 1900, they won Von Stuck a gold medal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Stuck at home this Christmas, but dreaming of France?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

Stuck to it with a magnet is an envelope.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak