stub

1 of 2

noun

ˈstəb 

1

a

: stump sense 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

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

Synonyms

Noun

• remainder
• scrap
• remnant

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

Pay by mail: Send payment and stub to Frontier, P.O. Box 740407, Cincinnati, OH 45274-0407. —Kara McGinley, USA Today, 26 June 2025

All of the ticket prices mentioned below are for General Admission stubs, with General Admission Plus, VIP, and Platinum stubs, of course, ringing you up for more. —Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 9 June 2025

Verb

Meanwhile, a woman stubs out her cigarette in her own ashtray, a mini glass jam jar. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 June 2025

The Dodgers have now seen two of their former MVPs miss time, one because of a fall in the shower and another from stubbing his toe. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 May 2025

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

Phrases Containing stub

• pay stub
• stub one's toe

Rhymes for stub

• bub
• club
• cub
• dub
• grub
• hub
• nub
• pub
• rub
• scrub
• shrub
• snub

Kids Definition

stub

1 of 2 noun

ˈstəb 

1

: stump entry 1 sense 2

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