stick out

verb

stuck out; sticking out; sticks out

intransitive verb

1

a

: to jut out : project

b

: to be prominent or conspicuous

2

: to be persistent (as in a demand or an opinion)

transitive verb

: endure, last entry 1

—often used with it

stuck it out to the end

Synonyms

• bag
• balloon
• beetle
• belly
• billow
• bulge
• bunch
• jut
• overhang
• poke
• pooch [chiefly dialect]
• pouch
• pout
• project
• protrude
• stand out
• start
• swell

Examples of stick out in a Sentence

no feet sticking out in the aisles, please

managed to stick out the whole race despite her bad knee

Recent Examples on the Web

Tarrio’s case The Justice Department’s case against Tarrio stuck out for one reason: the Proud Boys leader was not in Washington on Jan. 6 when other members of his group stormed the Capitol. —Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2025

But one stuck out: The ride-sharing company Uber is an early adopter of this kind of physics AI. —John Werner, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

On the other hand, the playoff losses to the San Francisco 49ers sting and the postseason blowout to the Green Bay Packers stick out like a sore thumb. —Saad Yousuf, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025

The under sticks out here considering Jim Harbaugh’s typical grind it out mentality and Houston’s stumbling offense. —Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1640, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

stick out

verb

1

a

: to extend out : project

b

: to be noticeable

you will certainly stick out with that red hat and coat

2

: to put up with : endure

stuck it out to the bitter end