stick it out

verb

To persist or continue to the end.

“Plenty of people begin the training, but few stick it out for the year or two necessary to become proficient.”

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Meanings

verbstick it out (third-person singular simple present sticks it out, present participle sticking it out, simple past and past participle stuck it out)

present singular third person sticks it out · participle present sticking it out · participle past stuck it out · past stuck it out

  1. informalTo persist or continue to the end.

    Plenty of people begin the training, but few stick it out for the year or two necessary to become proficient.

    2 more examples

    A letter from the Stationmaster was issued to all the staff, thanking them for "sticking it out" through one of the most difficult periods ever experienced at Redhill. None of them will easily forget Christmas, 1957.

    1958 March 28, M. W. G. Skinner, “Christmas Fortnight at Redhill”, in Railway Magazine, page 169

    It is not that I predict a plea deal for Trump to withdraw, or a new stinginess among donors who see his legal bills mounting, or a health scare. But DeSantis must look at the historic record and see that a big part of becoming president is just sticking it out.

    2023 August 8, Janan Ganesh, “The oneness of Ron DeSantis and Rishi Sunak”, in Financial Times

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
abyendurego onhold onperseverepersiststick itstick outtough out

Translations

German durchziehen
  • durchziehento persist
Polish wytrzymywać do końca, wytrzymać do końca
  • wytrzymywać do końcato persist
  • wytrzymać do końcato persist
  • przemęczyć sięto persist
Russian выде́рживать, держа́ться
  • выде́рживать (vydérživatʹ)to persist
  • держа́ться (deržátʹsja)to persist
Cite this entry
APA

stick it out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stick%20it%20out

MLA

“stick it out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stick%20it%20out. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stick it out,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stick%20it%20out.

Source: stick it out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.