From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstick to something phrasal verb1 PROMISEto do or keep doing what you said you would do or what you believe in, even when it is difficult SYN keep to Have you been sticking to your diet?stick to your decision/principles etc Miguel was determined to stick to his decision. It looks as if Nick will stick to his word this time.2 CONTINUE/NOT STOPto keep using or doing one particular thing and not change to anything else If you’re driving, stick to soft drinks.stick to doing something Reporters should stick to investigating the facts.3 stick to your guns informalCHANGE YOUR MIND to refuse to change your mind about something, even though other people are trying to persuade you that you are wrong Having made up his mind, he stuck to his guns.4 stick to the point/subject/factsSUBJECT to talk only about what you are supposed to be talking about or what is certain Never mind whose fault it was. Just stick to the facts.5 stick to the rules informalOBEY to do something exactly according to the rules 6 stick to the path/road etcCONTINUE/NOT STOP to stay on a marked path or road so that you do not get lost7 stick to the/your story spokenCHANGE YOUR MIND# to continue to say that what you have told someone is true, even though they do not believe you You intend to stick to this story that she knew nothing of your financial prospects?8 stick to the/your knitting American English informal to continue paying attention to your own work and not to get involved with what other people are doing I wish Mrs Reese would stick to her knitting.9 stick it to somebody American English informal to make someone suffer, pay a high price etc The politicians stick it to the tourists because the tourists don’t vote. → stick→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
stick to • Northerners stick to brands, but hunt for bargains.• But Klein stuck to his guns.• His stand heartened anti-Communists like Ngo Dinh Diem, who urged him to stick to his position.• And even the artists who stick to paper have mixed their media in other striking ways.• You should stick to your topic sentence.stick to your decision/principles etc• But we have to stick to our principles.• May we come to respect ourselves for sticking to our principles and living our lives with honesty and integrity.• He is telling the church to stick to its principles and not get side tracked or become hypocritical.• But John King has stuck to his principles and Rovers have strung together an impressive home record.• Nizan stuck to his principles, but after 1939 he became a political refugee.• She was not to know that Tina, sticking to her principles, had long ago slept with her cousin Jarvis.• Had I stuck to my principles or had I simply followed orders?stick to doing something• And even the artists who stick to paper have mixed their media in other striking ways.• But Klein stuck to his guns.• Electrostatic filters charge the incoming air so that the particles stick to an oppositely charged screen.• His stand heartened anti-Communists like Ngo Dinh Diem, who urged him to stick to his position.• Northerners stick to brands, but hunt for bargains.• You should stick to your topic sentence.stick to your guns• And there was great admiration for Livingstone's transparent honesty, self-effacing modesty and determination to stick to his guns.• But Klein stuck to his guns.• The clubs should have stuck to their guns.• The two brothers had conversation after conversation on the theme of religion, the younger one sticking to his guns.• Spenser should have stuck to his guns and been satisfied with unity of design.• I can decide how I am going to act, stick to my guns, and ignore the consequences.• Whether I'd stuck to my guns or not, it had been a harrowing experience and I felt abused.stick to the point/subject/facts• But caution is required where miracles come into play; let us stick to the facts.• Try to stick to the subject of the row rather than bringing up 25 years' worth of misdemeanours.• "Please stick to the facts, " said the judge.stick to the rules• It was all right if she was hours late, but Henry had to stick to the rules.• Everyone in the party has a responsibility to stick to the rules agreed by the party conference.• That government said at the summit it was sticking to the rules, and then suggested afterward it would not not.• I'd stuck to the rules arid nothing had happened.• Failure to stick to the safety rules could result in disaster.stick to the path/road etc• They clung to the towns, venturing out only by day, their big battalions sticking to the roads.• So please stick to the path at this site and hopefully nothing else will need to be done.• For now she stuck to the road which took her to the right, towards the sea.stick to the/your story• Bring in the police, the press, the king himself, and I shall stick to my story.• You do not have to stick to the story line.• He had stuck to his story, that they'd quarrelled at the dance and he had left early.stick to the/your knitting• They want me to help make their lives trouble free so that they can stick to their knitting.stick it to somebody• Set pastry over filling and press to stick it to edge of dish.• When it comes to taxes, politicians like to stick it to the tourists.• And if you don't like it, stick it to your pants as advertised. 