1
as in chunks
a small uneven mass
throw a nub of butter into the frying pan
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in roots
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
the nub of the argument is that the intelligence agencies failed the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nubs
Ephemera directs the brain to the tiniest concrete nubs of consciousness, calming the quaking mind and bringing us back to ourselves.
—
Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
How To Thoroughly Clean Your Bath Mat Cloth Cloth bath mats typically feature nubs, twists, or loops of fabric.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 12 May 2026
Her trick is to finely chop the ginger, instead of grating it, so there are spicy-sweet nubs in each bite.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Best Nylabone chew toys for puppies This three-pack includes one softer starter bone with nubs that are great for teething, one slightly tougher bone to move onto and one edible bone.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Legs were wound down to nubs and heads inflated to egregious proportions.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Fumbling with the plastic nubs can be painful and frustrating.
—Zoe Gates, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
This wooden foot massager roller features an arched design and rows of nubs to hit different acupressure points to provide relief.
—L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
How To Thoroughly Clean Your Bath Mat Cloth Cloth bath mats typically feature nubs, twists, or loops of fabric.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 12 May 2026
Her trick is to finely chop the ginger, instead of grating it, so there are spicy-sweet nubs in each bite.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Best Nylabone chew toys for puppies This three-pack includes one softer starter bone with nubs that are great for teething, one slightly tougher bone to move onto and one edible bone.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Legs were wound down to nubs and heads inflated to egregious proportions.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Fumbling with the plastic nubs can be painful and frustrating.
—Zoe Gates, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
This wooden foot massager roller features an arched design and rows of nubs to hit different acupressure points to provide relief.
—L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nubs
Noun
-
Maybe a whole roast chicken appeared, or its meat was folded into a gooey casserole with a few peas and carrot chunks.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 May 2026
-
Aim for at least an hour of daily activity, even if it’s broken up into shorter chunks throughout the day, Drake recommended.—
Jamie Ducharme,
Health,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
What is striking about this moment is that America is not merely acknowledging the Jewish roots of some of its values historically, but openly turning again to a distinctly Jewish practice as a possible source of wisdom for the present.—
Ari Berman,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Rayner is a favorite of members who think the party has strayed too far from its working-class roots and those who want the party to do more to boost the minimum wage and raise taxes on the rich.—
Danica Kirka,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
But in the dark, Yara was just trying their best not to trip over young clumps of prickly pear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Sunspots are cooler, darker regions of the sun’s surface that form when clumps of its magnetic field well up from deep within the sun.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
La Familia members typically bang drums and sing their hearts out from opening to closing whistle but decided to stay quiet and brought no flags or instruments to the stadium.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
-
The Baaka dingo is proof of just how deeply dingoes had worked their way into people’s hearts and lives by around a thousand years ago.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Researchers realized the moon was a potential helium-3 treasure trove in the 1970s, after finding it in drill cores gathered by astronauts during some of NASA’s Apollo missions.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
Cerebras sells the Wafer-Scale Engine 3, a single 5nm AI accelerator with 4 trillion transistors and 900,000 cores fabricated on one continuous wafer.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Not as punishment, but to better know our playing grounds and appreciate the big and small things—like freeing wads of vegetation from an undercarriage—that turn a field into a stage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
Cubans have long been accustomed to shopping with wads of cash stuffed into bags after compounding bouts of soaring inflation.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bacon, sunflower kernels, and raisins make a crunchy and flavorful side dish.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
5 May 2026
-
To ensure the highest quality, the kernels are non-GMO, and the seasonings are made in small batches.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Bieber’s face artfully dotted with globs of lotion.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
The chemicals made their way into Lake Apopka, turning the crystal clear waters into a pea-green soup filled with globs of gooey algae.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nubs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubs. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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