Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense glues, present participle glueing, present participle gluing, past tense, past participle glued
1. variable noun
Glue is a sticky substance used for joining things together, often for repairing broken things.
...a tube of glue.
...high quality glues.
Synonyms: adhesive, cement, gum, paste More Synonyms of glue
2. verb
If you glue one object to another, you stick them together using glue.
Glue the fabric around the window. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
The material is cut and glued in place. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
They are glued together. [beV-ed together]
Synonyms: stick, fix, seal, cement More Synonyms of glue
3. passive verb
If you say that someone is glued to something, you mean that they are giving it all their attention.
They are all glued to the final episode. [beVERB-ed + to]
See keep your eyes glued to something
glue in British English
(ɡluː)
noun
1.
any natural or synthetic adhesive, esp a sticky gelatinous substance prepared by boiling animal products such as bones, skin, and horns
2.
any other sticky or adhesive substance
verbWord forms: glues, gluing, glueing or glued
3. (transitive)
to join or stick together with or as if with glue
Derived forms
gluelike (ˈglueˌlike)
adjective
gluer (ˈgluer)
noun
gluey (ˈgluey) or glueish (ˈglueish)
adjective
gluily (ˈgluily)
adverb
glueyness (ˈglueyness) or gluiness (ˈgluiness)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French glu, from Late Latin glūs; compare Greek gloios
glue in American English
(glu)
noun
1.
a hard, brittle gelatin made by boiling animal skins, bones, hoofs, etc. to a jelly: when heated in water, it forms a sticky, viscous liquid used to stick things together
2.
any of various similar adhesive preparations made from casein, resin, etc.
verb transitiveWord forms: glued or ˈgluing
3.
to make stick with or as with glue
Derived forms
gluer (ˈgluer)
noun
Word origin
ME gleu < OFr glu, birdlime < LL glus (gen. glutis), glue: see clay
Examples of 'glue' in a sentence
glue
So you steer with your eyes glued to the helm.
Oxenhorn, Harvey Tuning the Rig: A Journey to the Arctic (1990)
Use fabric glue to save spending hours sewing them on.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This is because a shared national story provides the glue that keeps a society together.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It really does need to be sent to the glue factory.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They swagger around the place and stick together like glue.
The Sun (2010)
Wrap another piece of bin liner around the middle and glue in place to hold.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Medics had to glue the skin back.
The Sun (2011)
Apply nail glue to your ring finger.
The Sun (2012)
He had a straight face and his eyes were glued to his screen.
The Sun (2015)
Public services provide the glue that holds a civilised society together.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The egg globe was made from the lower halves of two eggs glued together.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He is the piece that is glued in place.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It is housed in a plastic bag glued to my skin.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Apply glue to the strip and wait five seconds to get tacky.
The Sun (2012)
So they have glued it together for the moment.
The Sun (2015)
Champagne bottles hold industrial glue sticks.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We stuck them round as a frame, using a glue gun.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Wrap your gift and tie with a ribbon, then attach the bunch of foliage to the ribbon using a glue gun.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The owners fear that if they don't pay up he intends to send the horses to the slaughterhouse and hence the glue factory.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I was quite aware there was adhesive glue on my nose - not a nice thought when you're trying to sleep.
The Sun (2014)
A large proportion of that grudgingly imported rice is sold for animal feed, glue and a variety of other low-grade uses.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
glue
British English: glue /ɡluː/ NOUN
Glue is a sticky substance used for joining things together.
...a tube of glue.
American English: glue
Arabic: غِراء
Brazilian Portuguese: cola
Chinese: 胶水
Croatian: ljepilo
Czech: lepidlo
Danish: lim
Dutch: lijm
European Spanish: pegamento
Finnish: liima
French: colle
German: Klebstoff
Greek: κόλλα
Italian: colla
Japanese: 接着剤
Korean: 풀
Norwegian: lim
Polish: klej
European Portuguese: cola
Romanian: lipici
Russian: клей
Latin American Spanish: pegamento
Swedish: klister
Thai: กาว
Turkish: tutkal
Ukrainian: клей
Vietnamese: hồ dán
British English: glue /ɡluː/ VERB
If you glue one object to another, you stick them together, using glue.
Glue the two halves together.
American English: glue
Arabic: يُغَرِّي
Brazilian Portuguese: colar
Chinese: 粘贴
Croatian: zalijepiti
Czech: lepit
Danish: lime
Dutch: lijmen
European Spanish: pegar cola
Finnish: liimata
French: coller
German: kleben
Greek: κολλάω
Italian: incollare
Japanese: 接着剤でつける
Korean: 붙이다
Norwegian: lime
Polish: skleić
European Portuguese: colar
Romanian: a lipi
Russian: клеить
Latin American Spanish: pegar
Swedish: limma
Thai: ใช้กาวติด
Turkish: yapıştırmak
Ukrainian: склеювати
Vietnamese: dán lại
Chinese translation of 'glue'
glue
(ɡluː)
n(c/u)
胶(膠) (jiāo) (种(種), zhǒng)
vt
粘贴(貼) (zhāntiē)
to glue sth together把某物粘在一起 (bǎ mǒuwù zhān zài yīqǐ)
to glue sth to sth把某物粘在某物上 (bǎ mǒuwù zhān zài mǒuwù shang)
to be glued to the television紧(緊)盯着(著)电(電)视(視) (jǐndīngzhe diànshì)
(noun)
Definition
a substance used for sticking things together
a tube of glue
Synonyms
adhesive
Glue the mirror in with a strong adhesive.
cement
Stick the pieces on with tile cement.
gum
a banknote that had been torn in half and stuck together with gum
paste
wallpaper paste
mucilage
(verb)
Definition
to join or stick together with glue
Glue the fabric around the window.
Synonyms
stick
Stick down any loose bits of flooring.
fix
Fix the photo to the card using double-sided tape
seal
cement
Most artificial joints are cemented into place.
gum
a mild infection in which the baby's eyelashes can become gummed together
paste
pasting labels on bottles
affix
Complete the form and affix four tokens.
agglutinate
Additional synonyms
in the sense of affix
Definition
to attach or fasten
Complete the form and affix four tokens.
Synonyms
attach,
add,
join,
stick on,
bind,
put on,
tag,
glue,
paste,
tack,
fasten,
annex,
append (formal),
subjoin
in the sense of agglutinate
Definition
to stick as if with glue
Synonyms
stick,
unite,
join,
bond,
attach,
glue,
cement,
gum,
adhere,
fasten,
solder
in the sense of cement
Definition
something that unites, binds, or joins things or people