stick out — persist despite difficulty
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
To continue to endure or tolerate something challenging or unpleasant until it is finished, especially when it would be easier to quit.
Say it like a native
Textbook I resolved to endure the course until completion despite the hardship.
Native I decided to stick it out till the end.
'Stick it out' is the idiomatic 'tough it out to the finish'; the formal version is laboured.
Pattern: stick out (something)
In use
- She decided to stick out the final year of her contract, even though the job was extremely demanding.perseverance
- Although the internship was challenging, I chose to stick it out because I knew the experience would benefit my future career.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I'll stick out it.
✓ I'll stick it out.
The object 'it' goes in the middle: 'stick it out'.
Common collocations
stick it out— till the end, for now, somehow, a bit longer
Don't confuse it
This sense is figurative and different from the B-level senses of being noticeable or physically protruding. Here, 'stick out' means to endure a situation, not to be seen or to extend outward.
Related
- stick out (to be very noticeable) — 'stick out' also has the more basic meaning 'to be very noticeable'; this is the advanced sense.