mindmap root((附着)) stick implies an attachment by affixing or by or as if by being glued together: the gummed label will ~ when pressed. adhere is often interchangeable with stick, but sometimes implies a growing together of parts normally distinct: muscle fibers will ~ following surgery. cohere suggests a sticking together of parts so that they form a unified mass: eggs will make the mixture ~. cling implies an attachment by or as by hanging on with arms or tendrils: always ~ to a capsized ship. cleave stresses closeness and strength of the attachment: barnacles ~ to the hull of the ship.