stick to & sticks to sticking to stuck to stuck to
1. stick to p.v. When one thing sticks to another, it remains attached to it.
The magnet sticks to the chalkboard because there's metal underneath.
I used the wrong glue, and the tiles didn't stick to the floor.
2. stick to p.v. When you are speaking or writing and you stick to a certain subject, you talk or write about that subject only.
The teacher said, "Do this paper over and stick to the point — don't talk about 100 other things that aren't important."
In his news conference, the President stuck to the new tax legislation, but the reporters kept asking about the latest scandal.
3. stick to p.v. When you stick to a certain belief, claim, policy, habit, plan, type of work, and so on, you continue as before, without change. Stick with is similar to stick to.
Jake claimed he was innocent of Hank's murder. He stuck to his alibi that he had been at the racetrack when the murder occurred.
After the audition, the director told me I was a terrible actor and that I should stick to singing.
4. stick... to p.v. [informal] When you stick it to people, you deliberately try to tease, annoy, or embarrass them with an accusation, provocative statement, or difficult question.
Sam thinks the new manager is an idiot, and he likes to stick it to him.
One woman at the shareholders' meeting really stuck it to the president of the company.
She asked why he deserved a $19 million bonus even though the company had lost money that year and 4,000 workers had been laid off.
| Infinitive | ||||
| present tense | -ing form | past tense | past participle | |
| take back | take back & takes back | taking back | took back | taken back |
1. take... back (to) p.v. When you take something back or take something back to a place, you take it to where it was before.
If you're finished working on the car, don't leave your tools here; take them back to the garage.
Do you usually take the shopping carts back after you've put your groceries in your car?
2. take... back (to) p.v. When you take something that you have bought to the place where you bought it and ask to have it repaired, to exchange it for something else, or for the money you paid for it, you take it back or take it back to the place where you bought it.
/ have to take back these pants that I bought yesterday because the zipper's already broken.
That new TV that Nancy bought was a piece of junk; she took it back to the store and demanded her money back.
3. take... back (from) p.v. When you take something back or take something back from someone else, you accept it from the person you gave, sold, or lent it to.
The guy at the store said he wouldn't take my answering machine back because I had bought it on sale.
The lady I bought this Persian rug from said she would be happy to take it back from me if I changed my mind.
4. take... back (to) p.v. When you take back something that you have borrowed or take back something that you have borrowed to the person or place that you borrowed it from, you return it.
Lydia borrowed this book from the library six months ago, and she still hasn't taken it back.
I need to take Jim's lawn mower back to him.
5. take... back (to) p.v. When you take people back or take people back to a place where they were before, you go with them to that place.
Our son was home from college for the summer, and we're taking him back tomorrow.
Mike got sick again, so we took him back to the hospital.
6. take... back p.v. When you take back something that you have said, you admit that what you said was untrue, unfair, or rude.
That's not true! You take that back right now!
I'm sorry, that was very rude of me. I take it back.
7. take... back (to) p.v. When something reminds you of a place where you were in the past or of something you experienced in the past, it takes you back or takes you back to a time in the past.
Looking through my high school year book sure takes me back.
My grandfather found his old uniform in the attic, and he said it took him back to when he was stationed in England during the war.
