stub

1 of 2

noun

1
b
: a short piece remaining on a stem or trunk where a branch has been lost
2
: something made or worn to a short or blunt shape
especially : a pen with a short blunt nib
3
: a short blunt part left after a larger part has been broken off or used up
a pencil stub
4
: something cut short or stunted
5
a
: a small part of a leaf (as of a checkbook) attached to the spine for memoranda of the contents of the part torn away
b
: the part of a ticket returned to the user

stub

2 of 2

verb

stubbed; stubbing

transitive verb

1
a
: to grub up by the roots
b
: to clear (land) by grubbing out rooted growth
c
: to hew or cut down (a tree) close to the ground
2
: to extinguish (something, such as a cigarette) by crushing
3
: to strike (one's foot or toe) against an object

Examples of stub in a Sentence

Noun Hold onto your ticket stub in case you leave the theater and want to come back in again. an ashtray full of cigarette stubs
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hidden within the looming southern California palm trees sits a daring mid-century modern house that has been rebuilt from the stubs up and into something that could be considered art. Tj MacIas, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Widgets on your home screen are also interactive now instead of merely being informational stubs that open an app when tapped. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 18 Sep. 2023 Tax experts warn that filing a tax return based on your pay stub from the end of the year isn't wise because the end-of-year stub typically doesn't reflect all taxable income received for a calendar year. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 29 Jan. 2024 Many older Roman buildings, like my house, also used stubs of antique columns to support an arched open porch, once a standard touch of elegance for the ground floors of medieval houses and palazzi, both public, like the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitoline Hill, and private. Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2023 Related article Uber announces partnership with London’s iconic black cab taxis And finally the Liberty line, which will appear as gray parallel lines, covers the short stub of a route that runs between the comparatively rural suburbs of Romford and Upminster, east of London. Jack Guy, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024 Trimming away stubs and removing dead branches from plants helps promote their natural shape and creates room for new growth. Noor Adatia, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 Other lot highlights from Monroe include her 1962 John F. Kennedy birthday gala original program and ticket stub (est. $4,000-$6,000), her custom shade of Elizabeth Arden lipstick in a gold tone case (est. $7,000-$9,000), and a floret diamond brooch (est. $8,000-$10,000). Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2024 Bonus items: an Angel-on-acrylic panel; 48-pg book with unreleased photos; new 20-pg fanzine; LA gig poster litho; 2 ticket stubs; replicas of the promo Angel mobile, 3 gig flyers, all-access tour laminate & 4 backstage passes. Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Sep. 2023
Verb
When hiking on exceptionally rocky terrain, having more protection on the toe box prevents you from stubbing your toes and improves the durability of that part of the shoe. Meg Carney, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 At one party where Thomas was flirting with another woman, Caitlin came up behind her and, without saying a word, stubbed her cigarette out on the woman’s hand. Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 All games at 7 p.m., unless noted No. 10 El Camino (4-2, 0-1) at No. 5 La Costa Canyon (5-1, 1-0) Avocado League Preview: After an emotional win over crosstown rival Oceanside, El Camino stubbed its toe last week, losing 23-12 to Torrey Pines. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Oct. 2023 The British ceramic artist Alma Berrow, 31, who makes renderings of overflowing ashtrays, as well as sticks of butter with butts stubbed out in them, is drawn to the subversive quality of cigarettes. Alexa Brazilian Sharon Radisch, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 The Dons, ranked No. 6 in San Diego and No. 58 in the state, opened the season with an impressive 55-14 win over Mater Dei Catholic, then stubbed their toe in a 40-30 loss to West Hills Chaminade. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023 There are people who’d rather stub their pinky toe than do that. L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune Well, 15 Aug. 2023 On that Friday in May, Ms. Schubert emerged from her motel, stubbed out a cigarette and cranked up her engine. Richard Fausset Chase Castor, New York Times, 17 June 2023 On that Friday in May, Schubert emerged from her motel, stubbed out a cigarette and cranked up her engine. Richard Fausset, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stubb, from Old English stybb; akin to Old Norse stūfr stump, Greek stypos stem

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of stub was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stub

Cite this Entry

“Stub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stub. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stub

1 of 2 noun
1
2
: a pen with a short blunt point
3
: a short part left after a larger part has been broken off or used up
a pencil stub
4
a
: a small part of a check kept as a record of the contents of the check
b
: the part of a ticket returned to the user

stub

2 of 2 verb
stubbed; stubbing
1
: to put out (as a cigarette) by crushing
2
: to strike (as one's toe) against an object

More from Merriam-Webster on stub

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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