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; stubs

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 toe or foot) against an object

… stubbed the little toe of his foot on a door …

—Nicholas Mendola

… a reinforced toe to protect you from stubbing your feet …

—Haley Zovickian

—usually used in the phrase stub one's toe

She stubbed her toe against/on the leg of the chair.

—sometimes used figuratively

… looks to rebound after stubbing its toe in Friday's 131-129 setback …

—Kevin Rogers

The Buckeyes … don't tend to stub their toe against teams they're supposed to beat.

—Dan Wolken

Synonyms of stub

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

Prune them back completely, leaving just the smallest stubs at ground level. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2026

One great joy had been collecting ticket stubs from concerts, games and other events that a person attended. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026

Verb

In the second half, Freese stepped off his line to control a ball, hesitated, stubbed his foot against the ground, and lost the ball. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

In 1828, a man named Benjamin Parks stubbed his toe on a stone. — John Archibald, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

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