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
Kath MacKay, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
There was no philosophical glue to hold it together.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2024
Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
And there’s a correlation between parents glued to their phones and children feeling stressed or emotionally detached, according to communication research published in 2022.
—Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glue 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Harnessing these technologies for substantial growth will require a more nuanced understanding of how these sectors intersect and interact and how emerging technologies are the glue that binds them together.
—Kath MacKay, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
There was no philosophical glue to hold it together.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2024
Verb
Cut to a scene of the boys, glueing the privates back onto the statue, the wrong way . . .
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
And there’s a correlation between parents glued to their phones and children feeling stressed or emotionally detached, according to communication research published in 2022.
—Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 28 Nov. 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 17 Dec. 2024.
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