1
a
: any of various strong adhesive substances
especially
: a hard protein chiefly gelatinous substance that absorbs water to form a viscous solution with strong adhesive properties and that is obtained by cooking down collagenous materials (such as hides or bones)
b
: a solution of glue used for sticking things together
2
: something that binds together
enough social glue … to satisfy the human desire for community—
E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
glued; gluing also glueing
1
: to cause to stick tightly with or as if with glue
gluing the parts together
used that war to glue together a frail story—Gloria Emerson
Gloria Emerson2
: to cause to remain continuously or to be fixed steadily
—usually used with to
the spectators were glued to their seats
all eyes glued to the TV screen
Synonyms
Examples of glue in a Sentence
Noun
The hardware store offers several different glues.
used glue to stick the photo in the album
Verb
I glued the pieces of the cup back together.
Recent Examples on the Web
Art De Roché, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
For a while, sports was the glue holding it together.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
These tapes are glued to your own hair from above and below using the sandwich technique.
—Anna Bader, Glamour, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glue 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
While midfielder and club captain Martin Odegaard is often now the glue for knitting everything together at Arsenal, Jesus once did that across the width of the final third by combining with Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka, who left for Bayer Leverkusen in summer 2023, out on the left.
—Art De Roché, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
For a while, sports was the glue holding it together.
—Alex Sherman, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
Elsewhere in the city, people were glued to their smartphones and televisions, anxiously watching the page turn on the surreal political moment.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
These tapes are glued to your own hair from above and below using the sandwich technique.
—Anna Bader, Glamour, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glue
Dictionary Entries Near glue
Cite this Entry
“Glue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glue. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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