What does glued mean?
“Glued” most commonly means fastened with glue, as in a sign glued to a wall or two pieces joined by adhesive. It also has a strong figurative sense of being firmly fixed, intensely absorbed, or unable to separate from something: viewers may remain glued to a screen, while a community can be described as glued together. In these figurative uses, the word suggests a connection that is unusually strong, persistent, or difficult to break. Grammatically, “glued” is the simple past tense and past-participle form of the verb “glue,” so it can appear in constructions such as “they glued the photographs together” and “the photograph was glued to the wall.” It is widely used in both British and American English, with no major regional difference.
Fastened or joined with glue; figuratively, firmly fixed, closely attached, or intensely focused on something.
"A small photograph was glued to the front of the notebook."
The phrase “glued to” is especially common in the figurative sense of intense attention or attachment.
The past tense and past participle of “glue,” meaning to join or fasten with adhesive.
"The children glued the pieces of paper into a long strip."
Use “glued” as a past-tense verb with a subject, or as a past participle with forms such as “has glued” and “was glued.”
When someone says they are “glued to the screen,” the image captures attention so powerful that even getting up feels impossible.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glued come from?
“Glued” is formed by adding the English past-participle ending -ed to “glue.” “Glue” comes through Middle English from Old French glu, ultimately from Latin glus, meaning “glue” or “adhesive substance.” The modern sense of joining materials with an adhesive developed from the older noun and verb uses of “glue.”
Related word forms
How glued is actually used
The figurative use of “glued to” is common in informal speech and writing. It often conveys intense attention, attachment, or inability to move away, and may be mildly hyperbolic.
Easily confused with glued
“Glue” is the noun for the adhesive and the base verb; “glued” is its past tense and past-participle form, as well as an adjective describing something joined with adhesive.