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paste

n. · v.
US //ˈpeɪst// UK //pˈeɪst// paste
  1. 1 thick mixture (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a soft, thick, and wet mixture of substances.

    a soft, moist, and viscous mixture, typically used in food preparation or as an adhesive.

    Example

    Mix the flour and water together until they form a smooth paste.

    Example

    The chef pounded the garlic and herbs into a fine paste before rubbing it over the surface of the meat.
  2. 2 artificial gem (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    a hard type of glass used to make fake jewellery.

    a heavy, lead-based glass used to manufacture imitation gemstones.

    Example

    The necklace looked expensive, but it was actually made of paste.

    Example

    The antique brooch was set with high-quality paste stones that mimicked the brilliance of real diamonds to the untrained eye.
Show 3 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 computing (v.)
    A2 Elementary Computing

    to put text or a picture that you have copied into a new place.

    to insert data from a clipboard or buffer into a document or application.

    Example

    You can copy the address from the email and paste it into the map.

    Example

    After selecting the relevant paragraphs from the source document, she used a keyboard shortcut to paste them into her report.
  2. 4 to stick (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to stick something to a surface using glue or a similar mixture.

    to cause to adhere to a surface by applying an adhesive substance.

    Example

    The children spent the afternoon pasting pictures into their scrapbooks.

    Example

    The workers spent the night pasting political posters onto every available brick wall in the city centre.
  3. 5 to hit or defeat (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang British English

    to hit someone hard or to beat a team by a lot of points.

    to strike someone forcefully or to defeat an opponent by a significant margin.

    Example

    Our team got pasted in the final game, losing six to zero.

    Example

    The local newspapers reported that the champion had been thoroughly pasted in the third round, much to the shock of the spectators.
Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kweh₁t-der. Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek παστός (pastós) Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor. Late Latin pasta Old French pastebor. Middle English paste English paste From Middle English paste, from Old French paste (modern pâte), from Late Latin pasta, from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá). Doublet of pasta. The verb is from the noun. Middle English had pasten (“to make a paste of; bake in a pastry”), also from the noun; compare Latin pistō and Medieval Latin pastillātus.

Etymology 2

Probably an alteration of baste (“beat”) influenced by some sense of the noun.

Etymology 3

Unadapted borrowing from Italian paste (“pastas”).

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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