adhere

adhere — verb

1. to stay joined to a surface, material, or skin instead of coming off.

1.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to stay joined to a surface, material, or skin instead of coming off.

Example

Wet leaves adhered to the bottom of Ella's red rain boots.

adhere to + surface

The label would not adhere to the cold glass bottle.

negative form in product instructions

Common collocations
  • adhere firmly
  • adhere to glass
  • adhere to skin
  • fail to adhere
Synonyms
  • stick

    the everyday word for this idea in normal speech

  • cling

    suggests tighter contact and is also used for emotional meanings

  • attach

    usually transitive, when someone puts one thing onto another

Antonyms
  • detach

    become separated from the surface

  • peel off

    common for labels, tape, and thin layers coming away

Grammar Patterns

adhere + to + surface/material

Usage Note

Usually followed by 'to' plus the surface or material involved. In everyday speech, people often say 'stick to' instead; 'adhere' is more common in technical, medical, or product-writing contexts.

Common Mistakes

The label adhered on the bottle.
The label adhered to the bottle.
this sense normally takes 'to', not 'on'.
Phrasal verbs

adhere to

phrasal verb

To follow a rule, plan, or set of instructions exactly.

All students must adhere to the school's dress code.

Did the team adhere to the project timeline?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Adhere' is more formal than 'stick' and often appears in instructions, science, or product descriptions. In casual speech, people usually say something 'sticks to' a wall, shoe, or pan. 'Cling' suggests even tighter contact and often gives a visual image of something hanging on, like wet clothes clinging to your legs. 'Attach' is different because it is usually transitive: you attach one thing to another on purpose. 'Bond' is more technical and often describes substances joining strongly over time. So a child may say gum stuck to a desk, a nurse may say a bandage adhered to the skin, and a repair guide may say two layers must bond fully before use.

stick ↗cling ↗attach ↗bond ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • adhere to glass
  • adhere to metal
  • adhere to skin
  • adhere to fabric

Adverbs

  • adhere firmly
  • adhere properly
  • adhere securely

Phrases

  • fail to adhere
  • adhere to the surface
  • not adhere well

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Adhere' came into English from Latin 'adhaerere', a verb meaning 'to stick to'. That Latin form joins 'ad-', meaning 'to' or 'toward', with 'haerere', meaning 'to stick' or 'hang'. English kept the central physical idea of one thing staying fastened to another. Later, the word also developed more abstract uses about following rules or beliefs, but the basic image is still one of close contact that does not easily come apart.