stickup

1 of 2

noun

stick·​up ˈstik-ˌəp How to pronounce stickup (audio)
: a robbery at gunpoint : holdup

stick up

2 of 2

verb

stuck up; sticking up; sticks up

intransitive verb

: to stand upright or on end : protrude

transitive verb

: to rob at gunpoint
Phrases
stick up for
: to speak or act in defense of : support

Examples of stickup in a Sentence

Noun He pulled out a gun and shouted, “This is a stickup!”.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Cadillac Richie was more of a kind of independent, stickup kid. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2024 Frank Moten was always of the mindset that Cadillac Richie did the robbery, but the real Cadillac Richie is a little bit different than our Cadillac Richie; the real Cadillac Richie was more of a stickup kid. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
After sticking up for his special needs sister and punching a bully, a middle schooler must defend his actions in this new musical by Ben Decter and Kristin Hanggi. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024 From afar, Lisa and Whitney’s husbands watched the women fight, debating inserting themselves to stick up for their wives. Liza Esquibias, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stickup 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1862, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of stickup was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near stickup

Cite this Entry

“Stickup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stickup. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

stickup

1 of 2 noun
stick·​up ˈstik-ˌəp How to pronounce stickup (audio)
: a robbery at gunpoint : holdup

stick up

2 of 2 verb
ˈstik-ˈəp
1
: to stand upright or on end : protrude
2
: to rob at gunpoint

More from Merriam-Webster on stickup

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!