adhering
- 1Present participle of adhere.
The label kept adhering to the bottle even after a hot wash.
Adhering to the safety guidelines is mandatory for every member of staff.
Note
The -ing form does two jobs with one spelling: it is a participle in "the paint is adhering well" and a gerund in "strict adhering pays off." Because adhere takes no direct object, whatever is stuck to or followed comes in with to: adhering to a surface, to a belief, to the facts. Middle English had it in two shapes, adherynge and adherande, before the -ing spelling won out.
adhering is a form of adhere
adhere, verb: To remain attached or devoted to a person, belief, or principle. Full entry
- Spelling
- adhere → adhering: drop the e, add -ing
Use it in a sentence
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Origin
The present participle of Middle English adheren, from Old French adherer, from Medieval Latin adhaereō ("adhere"); equivalent to adhere plus -ing.