| 1. | coated with glue, paste, mastic, or other sticky substance: adhesive bandages. |
| 2. | sticking fast; sticky; clinging. |
| 3. | Physics. of or pertaining to the molecular force that exists in the area of contact between unlike bodies and that acts to unite them. |
| 4. | a substance that causes something to adhere, as glue or rubber cement. |
| 5. | adhesive tape. |
| 6. | Philately. a postage stamp with a gummed back, as distinguished from one embossed or printed on an envelope or card. |
adhesive ad·he·sive (ād-hē'sĭv, -zĭv)
adj.
Tending to adhere; sticky.
Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adhesion.
adhesive
any substance that is capable of holding materials together in a functional manner by surface attachment that resists separation. "Adhesive" as a general term includes cement, mucilage, glue, and paste-terms that are often used interchangeably for any organic material that forms an adhesive bond. Inorganic substances such as portland cement also can be considered adhesives, in the sense that they hold objects such as bricks and beams together through surface attachment, but this article is limited to a discussion of organic adhesives, both natural and synthetic
Learn more about adhesive with a free trial on Britannica.com.