any natural or synthetic adhesive, esp a sticky gelatinous substance prepared by boiling animal products such as bones, skin, and horns any other sticky or adhesive substance
- (transitive)
to join or stick together with or as if with glue
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
glue /glu/USA pronunciation
n., v., glued, glu•ing.
n. [uncountable]
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025n. [uncountable]
- Chemistrya hard protein gelatin substance, obtained naturally by boiling skins, hoofs, and other animal substances in water or prepared artificially, used as a strong adhesive.
v. [~ + object]
- to join or attach firmly with or as if with glue:to glue a label on a package; The kids' eyes were glued to the TV screen.
glue
(glo̅o̅),USA pronunciation n., v., glued, glu•ing.
n.
v.t.
glue′like′, adj.
glu′er, n.
n.
- a hard, impure, protein gelatin, obtained by boiling skins, hoofs, and other animal substances in water, that when melted or diluted is a strong adhesive.
- any of various solutions or preparations of this substance, used as an adhesive.
- any of various other solutions or preparations that can be used as adhesives.
v.t.
- to join or fasten with glue.
- to cover or smear (something) with glue (sometimes fol. by up).
- to fix or attach firmly with or as if with glue;
make adhere closely:to glue a model ship together.
- Latin glūt- (stem of glūs); cognate with Greek gloiós gum, anything sticky; (verb, verbal) Middle English glywen, glewen, derivative of the noun, nominal
- Old French glu
- (noun, nominal) Middle English glu, gleu 1300–50
glu′er, n.
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged paste, gum, stick, cement, plaster.
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