Library / English Dictionary

ADHERE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Follow through or carry out a plan without deviation

Example:

They adhered to their plan

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "adhere" is one way to...):

carry out; follow out; follow through; follow up; go through with; implement; put through (pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation

Example:

The sushi rice grains cohere

Synonyms:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "adhere" is one way to...):

adjoin; contact; meet; touch (be in direct physical contact with; make contact)

"Adhere" entails doing...:

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to (stick to firmly)

stick (fasten with an adhesive material like glue)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adhere"):

mold (fit tightly, follow the contours of)

conglutinate (stick together)

agglutinate (clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

adherent (sticking fast)

adhesion (the property of sticking together (as of glue and wood) or the joining of surfaces of different composition)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Stick to firmly

Example:

Will this wallpaper adhere to the wall?

Synonyms:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "adhere" is one way to...):

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick (come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adhere"):

bind (form a chemical bond with)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

adherent (sticking fast)

adhesion (the property of sticking together (as of glue and wood) or the joining of surfaces of different composition)

adhesive (tending to adhere)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be loyal to

Example:

The friends stuck together through the war

Synonyms:

adhere; stand by; stick; stick by

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "adhere" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 5

Meaning:

Be a devoted follower or supporter

Example:

She sticks to her principles

Synonyms:

adhere; stick

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "adhere" is one way to...):

adopt; espouse; follow (choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

adherent (someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another)

adhesion (faithful support for a cause or political party or religion)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Be compatible or in accordance with

Example:

You must adhere to the rules

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "adhere" is one way to...):

agree; check; correspond; fit; gibe; jibe; match; tally (be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

A device that experienced problems due to dust or dirt that has adhered to its surfaces.

(Device Dust or Dirt Problem Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

A biofilm that contains numerous microorganisms that adheres to the teeth.

(Dental Plaque, NCI Thesaurus)

Cell surface proteins on B cells receive signals from the exterior, adhere to other cells, and transmit signals to other cells.

(B Lymphocyte Cell Surface Molecule Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A data type comprised of values that adhere to two-value logic such as True and False but does not include a Null Flavor.

(Boolean Non-null Data Type, NCI Thesaurus)

Flattening of the cells and diapedesis, adhering leukocytes crawl to an intercellular junction of the endothelium and then transmigrate to or even through the intercellular matrix.

(Lymphocyte Adhesion Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Medronic acid has affinity for and adheres to the surface of hydroxyapatite crystals in the bone matrix.

(Medronic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)

Yes; I feel now that I was right when I adhered to principle and law, and scorned and crushed the insane promptings of a frenzied moment.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Administered orally, excreted pentosan polysulfate adheres to the urinary bladder wall, preventing irritants from entering bladder cells and the development or progression of interstitial cystitis (IC), a complication of some chemotherapies.

(Pentosan polysulfate, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon oral ingestion, Lp 299 adheres to the intestinal mucosa, modulates the composition of the normal microflora, helps maintain adequate colonization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and improves digestion and metabolism.

(Lactobacillus plantarum strain 299, NCI Thesaurus)

It may be intermixed with the vestibulocochlear nerve and may adhere to adjacent structures.

(Inner Ear Lipoma, NCI Thesaurus)