stuck

American  

[stuhk] / stʌk /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of stick.

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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

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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

It wasn’t stuck with excess inventory when that demand quickly receded, as some retail competitors were at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

"They've got us cornered because they tell us: if you don’t accept the repatriation programme, you'll be stuck in a mess here in Congo," said Gabriela, visibly upset.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

"Unfortunately for him, he discovered once he went to sea that he was seasick, but with his typical stoicism he stuck at it," his daughter said.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Gareth Bale wasn't always adored at the Bernabeu, and when former Real Madrid star Predrag Mijatovic suggested those were the order of the Welshman's priorities, it stuck.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

I wouldn’t have been more surprised if I had stuck my finger in the firebox of Mama’s cook stove.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls