Adhere Meaning
/ædˈhɪə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo stick fast or cleave, as a glutinous substance does; to become joined or united.
verbTo be attached or devoted by personal union, in belief, on principle, etc.
Sentence Examples
There will be chaos unless we all adhere to the rules.
Wet clothes adhere to the skin.
The bacteria adhere to the surface of the red cells.
CEFR Practice Quiz
All participants must ____ to the strict safety guidelines set forth.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
All students must ____ to the school's updated dress code policy.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin haereō Latin adhaereōder. Middle English *adheren English adhere From Middle English *adheren (suggested by Middle English adherande (“adhering, adherent”, present participle)), from Latin adhaerēre, adhaesum: ad (“to”) + haerēre (“to stick”). Compare French adhérer.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The sure test of the presence of the disease is found in the dead body of the larva, which is dark and discoloured; and if a toothpick or pin be thrust into it and then drawn back, the body contents will adhere to it in a stringy mass, to the extent of a half or even an entire inch, as if it were mucous or glue; later the bodies of the larvae dry and appear as black scales in the cell bottoms."
— 1905, Anna Botsford Comstock, chapter 16, in How to Keep Bees:
"Upon the whole, if, by the British dominions, you mean territories subject to the Parliament, you adhere to your usual fallacy, and suppose what you are bound to prove."
— 1775 February 23, Alexander Hamilton, “The Farmer Refuted, &c., [23 February] 1775”, in Harold C. Syrett, editor, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, volumes 1, 1768–1778, New York: Columbia University Press, published 1962, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 103:
"King Ferdinand adopted the magnanimous measure recommended by the queen, but he accompanied it with several shrewd conditions, exacting tribute, military services, and safe passages and maintenance for Christian troops throughout the places which should adhere to Boabdil."
— 1829, Washington Irving, chapter 20, in Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada:
"She has conceived the high function of poetry as an interpretation and criticism of life, adhering to the canons of her beloved master, Matthew Arnold, and has proven her worth, and the right to receive and exercise the spiritual influence inherited from that great and austere poet."
— 1913, William Stanley Braithwaite, A Foremost American Lyrist: An Appreciation:
"This paper gives an overview of such commentary it has received, minimal as it is, and highlights a number of inaccuracies that appear to adhere to the dictionary with worrying regularity."
— 2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, →DOI, page 486:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
All participants must ____ to the strict safety guidelines set forth.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
All students must ____ to the school's updated dress code policy.