Adhere

How to spell adhere

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce adhere

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does adhere mean?

1. verbTo hold firmly to a rule, belief, plan, or agreement.
2. verbTo stick fast to a surface or another object.

Adhere in a sentence

• All contractors must adhere to the safety regulations on site.

• The label will not adhere properly to a damp bottle.

• The committee agreed to adhere to the original budget despite the delays.

• Clean the tiles first so the new grout can adhere to them.

Where does adhere come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb adhaerere, which was built from ad-, meaning 'to' or 'towards', and haerere, meaning 'to stick' or 'to cling'. The literal sense was therefore 'to stick to something', and that physical image of clinging fast is still the core of the modern word. English took it in during the early sixteenth century, partly through French, and the figurative meaning of holding firmly to a belief, a rule, or an agreement grew naturally out of the idea of sticking close. The same Latin haerere lies behind several relatives an adult will recognise, including 'cohere', 'inherent', and 'hesitate', which originally pictured someone stuck and unable to move. Remembering that the ending is 'here', the same letters as the everyday word for 'in this place', is a handy way to lock in the spelling.

How the word is built

• ad- (to)
• here (from Latin haerere: to stick, to cling)