stub

noun \ ˈstəb \

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of stub

1 a : stump 2

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

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See stub defined for kids

Examples of stub in a Sentence

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 of stub from the Web

The subpoena sought records dating back to 2008 related to his pay stubs, tax documents, personnel files, internal investigation records, travel, secondary employment and education.

— ian duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Federal subpoenas show prosecutors continue to investigate Baltimore's ex-police chief De Sousa," 15 May 2018
Naranjo, pregnant, eats by the light of a shrinking candle stub.

— Washington Post, "Mounting economic chaos leaves many Venezuelans in the dark," 4 May 2018
But JeT collected far more of the stubs from those passes -- about 13,000 for Jefferson versus 9,000 for Orleans -- entitling JeT to take home more monthly ticket revenue.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "Single bus ticket for Orleans, Jefferson transit to start in August," 25 Apr. 2018
Some Republicans have even suggested that voters might not have noticed increases of $40 or $60 or so in their paychecks, partly because many workers no longer get paper pay stubs.

— erica werner, chicagotribune.com, "GOP fears a vote to extend tax cuts would aid Democrats," 18 Apr. 2018
With the recent addition of Cloudflare's DoH service to the stub's curated list of public DNS services, DNSCrypt Proxy will almost always connect to Cloudflare by default because of the server's low latency.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "How to keep your ISP’s nose out of your browser history with encrypted DNS," 8 Apr. 2018
Also, cut back excessively rampant shoots growing off the cordons to short stubs, which leaves buds for future replacement arms.

— the editors of organic life, Good Housekeeping, "How To Grow Your Own Kiwis In Your Backyard," 6 Feb. 2018
Proof of Social Security number: Social Security card, W-2 form or paycheck stub with complete Social Security number.

— michael cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, "California rolls out new driver’s licenses — and those who fly will want them," 23 Jan. 2018
After Cornerstone showed the apartment, Botkin and his roommates submitted references, employment histories, pay stubs, and other paperwork to Boston’s Preferred Properties, which acted as the landlord’s agent.

— sean p. murphy, BostonGlobe.com, "Watch out for fees when renting an apartment," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stub.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of stub

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

stub Synonyms

Synonyms

end, leftover, oddment, remainder, remnant, scrap;

Near Antonyms

whole;

balance, rest;

chip, flake, fragment, piece, sliver, splinter;

ribbon(s), shred, tatter;

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

stub

verb

Definition of stub

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

See stub defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of stub from the Web

Lewis has had a gun pointed at him three times and a cigarette stubbed out on his forehead once.

— todd c. frankel, chicagotribune.com, "Riding with the repo man: as auto loan defaults rise, car repossessions skyrocket," 16 May 2018
Our knees stubbed into the concrete, chipping away at our morale.

— mike kotsopoulos, BostonGlobe.com, "Here’s a runner’s perspective on the Boston Marathon," 16 Apr. 2018
There is a palpable excitement, a few potential stars in the making, and the bathroom doorway in my room in the media village is equipped with the latest toe-stubbing technology.

— michael rosenberg, SI.com, "Welcome to the Olympics, as Complicated and Controversial as Ever," 9 Feb. 2018
Still, Purdue needs to get itself off the mat and get right again after stubbing its toe earlier this month.

— nick baumgardner, Detroit Free Press, "2018 Big Ten tournament predictions: Who's going to win it all?," 28 Feb. 2018
The Frogs started 7-0 before stubbing a toe at Iowa State to start a 3-3 stretch that included two losses to Oklahoma, one in the league championship game.

— carlos mendez, star-telegram, "Horned Frogs arrive in San Antonio with ‘one more job’ to do," 23 Dec. 2017
So if seniors have stubbed out their smokes, what are the effects of being overweight or obese?

— erin arvedlund, Philly.com, "For American seniors, obesity is the new smoking," 13 Dec. 2017
More: Michigan observations: LB Khaleke Hudson (6.5 TFL) stars vs. Minnesota Defense 8 Michigan's defense stubbed its toe late in the first quarter when Minnesota put together an impressive 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

— nick baumgardner, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan report card: Offensive line keeps pushing, defense tightens up," 5 Nov. 2017
Let’s give the Steelers one toe-stubbing in that stretch.

— michael rosenberg, SI.com, "Steelers' Offense Only Becoming More Formidable As JuJu Smith-Schuster Breaks Out vs. Lions," 30 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of stub

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

STUB Defined for English Language Learners

stub

noun

Definition of stub for English Language Learners

: a short part left after a larger part has been broken off or used up
: a part of a ticket that is kept by the person who uses the ticket
: a piece of paper that is attached to a check and has information (such as the amount and the date) printed on it