stubble

noun

stub·​ble ˈstə-bəl 

often attributive

1

: the basal part of herbaceous plants and especially cereal grasses remaining attached to the soil after harvest

2

: a rough surface or growth resembling stubble

especially : a short growth of beard

stubbled

ˈstə-bəld 

adjective

stubbly

ˈstə-b(ə-)lē 

adjective

Examples of stubble in a Sentence

He ran his hand over his stubble.

Recent Examples on the Web

At his arraignment Sunday night, Donald appeared with stubble on his face, wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and sneakers. —Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025

Whether removing peach fuzz, smoothing legs, tackling armpit stubble, or touching up your bikini line, the best epilators offer a reliable solution. —Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 July 2025

Hall, Nash, and Hogan—now wearing black and cultivating vicious dark stubble around his platinum mustache—were stylish meanies. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025

With his keffiyeh, aviator sunglasses, and beard stubble, Arafat first received media attention in the 1960s and 1970s, when the PLO was hijacking airplanes and perpetrating terrorist attacks. —Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English stuble, from Anglo-French estuble, from Latin stupula stalk, straw, alteration of stipula — more at stipule

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stubble

• stubble mulch

Rhymes for stubble

• bubble
• double
• rubble
• trouble
• redouble

Kids Definition

stubble

noun

stub·​ble ˈstəb-əl 

1

: the stem ends of herbs and especially cereal grasses remaining attached to the ground after harvest

2

: a rough surface or growth resembling stubble

stubbly

-(ə-)lē 

adjective