plural studs
1
a
: a group of animals and especially horses kept primarily for breeding
b
: a place where a stud is kept
Haras du Pin, founded in 1730, is the biggest national stud in France …—Wendy Insinger
—often used before another nounstud farms
2
: stud horse
Next day, the stud was led from his stall and turned into the breaking pen.—Dave Jones
broadly
: a male animal kept or used for breeding
—often used before another noun
a stud dog
stud service
see also stud book
3
informal
a
: a very attractive and masculine man : hunk sense 2
He plays Torch, the shirtless soap-opera stud, with a restless, street-corner sexiness.—Susan Littwin
… She's All That, in which high school stud Freddie Prinze Jr. transforms dork Rachel Leigh Cook into a beauty queen.—Entertainment Weekly
often, specifically
: such a man who has a reputation of having multiple sexual partners
The world, anyway the part of it that cares, has heard of [Warren] Beatty's reputation as stud and of his affair with Christie. —Stanley Kaufmann
b
: a young man : guy
c
: a tough person
4
sports, informal
: a very talented usually young new player
… Portland was one of the more active teams in the offseason, acquiring potential All-Star Harvey Grant and rebounding stud Chris Dudley.—Joe Menzer
… the team will look to start over at the position with a young stud. …—Adam Cloutier
—often used before another nounThe conventional spoon-feeding of the young stud pitcher calls for strict pitch counts and early exits.—Tim Keown
5
often stud poker
: poker in which each player is dealt a mix of usually five to seven facedown and faceup cards in multiple rounds with betting taking place after most rounds of dealing
Stud poker, where each player is dealt their first card face-down and the next four cards face-up, didn't come into existence for many years (until about 1864).—Rebecca Ferguson
a stud poker player/game/hand
An M.B.A. from Harvard, he viewed seven-card stud as a test of money management …—Sandra R. Gregg
When I was dealing I usually proposed five-card stud, a rudimentary game in which one's luck is quickly determined.—Hayden Carruth
see also:
1
a
: one of the smaller uprights in the framing of the walls of a building to which sheathing, paneling, or laths are fastened : scantling
b
: height from floor to ceiling
2
a
: a boss, rivet, or nail with a large head used (as on a shield or belt) for ornament or protection
b
: a solid button with a shank or eye on the back inserted (as through an eyelet in a garment) as a fastener or ornament
c
: a small button-like ornament with a post for inserting through a body part (such as the earlobe or nostril) and into a clasp
3
a
: any of various infixed pieces (such as a rod or pin) projecting from a machine and serving chiefly as a support or axis
b
: one of the metal or rubber cleats projecting from a snow tire to increase traction
studded; studding
1
: to furnish (a building, a wall, etc.) with studs
2
: to adorn, cover, or protect with studs
3
: to set, mark, or decorate conspicuously often at intervals
a sky studded with stars
a career studded with honors
Cite this Entry
“Stud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stud. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
