What does "sticker" mean?
Something or someone that sticks (pierces, or adheres).
Sticker
/ˈstɪkɚ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something or someone that sticks (pierces, or adheres).
- Grammar: sticker is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adherent, adhesive, badge, baffling problem.
- Useful contrasts: bare surface, unlabeled item, unpriced item.
- Usage evidence: Nobody I know ever paid sticker price for a car.
How to use "sticker"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sticker" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sticker" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sticker" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sticker" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sticker" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adherent" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sticker", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something or someone that sticks (pierces, or adheres).
"[…] and I said to Mr. McCauley, whatever is the matter with your neck, it is all swelled up, and he said he got it in the mill; he said he had an arm load of wool and a sticker stuck him in the neck, here (indicating the right hand side of the neck just below the jaw)."
- 2 a short knife with a pointed blade used for piercing or stabbing wordnet
- 3 One who sticks to something, or does not give up; a stayer.
"He's a sticker. He was a goer to the end in all he did — and in Rugger outstandingly […]"
- 4 a particularly difficult or baffling question or problem wordnet
- 5 An adhesive label or decal.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 an adhesive label wordnet
- 7 A price tag.
- 8 a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf wordnet
- 9 The listed price (also sticker price). broadly
"When buying a car, know the sticker and the invoice price."
- 10 A cartoonish illustration of a character that represents an emotion or action, often accompanied by text, that may be superimposed on a digital image. Internet
- 11 A burr or seed pod that catches in fur or clothing. informal
- 12 That which causes one to stick; that which puzzles or poses. colloquial, dated
""That's what I call a sticker for Wagg!""
- 13 A wooden strip placed between courses of lumber to allow air circulation and to create a gap so the unit can be picked up with a forklift (also kiln sticker).
- 14 A small wooden rod in an organ which connects (in part) a key and a pallet, so as to communicate motion by pushing.
- 15 A brand, label, or company, especially one making and distributing records.
- 16 A paster. US
- 17 A bayonet. slang
Verb
- 1 To apply one or more stickers to (something).
"A tattooed camp staffer DJs from a heavily stickered laptop, next to a whirling party light that scatters rainbow beams throughout the space."
- 2 To mark as the sticker price
"Also out of Africa: a huge hammered copper floor mirror stickered at $449."
Antonyms
bare surfaceunlabeled itemunpriced item
Example
"Nobody I know ever paid sticker price for a car."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sticker"?
Common synonyms include: adherent, adhesive, badge, baffling problem, barnacle, billhead.
How do you use "sticker" in a sentence?
Nobody I know ever paid sticker price for a car.
How do you pronounce "sticker"?
Pronounced /ˈstɪkɚ/.
Etymology
From stick (“to pierce, to be fastened, to adhere”) + -er (“agent”).