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Synonyms

nubbin

American  
[nuhb-in] / ˈnʌb ɪn /

noun

  1. a small lump or stunted piece; stub.

  2. a small or imperfect ear of corn.

  3. an undeveloped fruit.


nubbin British  
/ ˈnʌbɪn /

noun

  1. something small or undeveloped, esp a fruit or ear of corn

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nubbin

1685–95, perhaps nub + -in, variant of -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The charity said Knobble's nickname was due to a "knobbly nubbin" on top of his dorsal fin.

From BBC Oct. 26, 2023

Then continue, as “impossibly, without anyone moving him, he bent forward and climbed unsteadily onto his little nubbin legs. The empty sleeve of his puppet hole hung behind him like a tail.”

From Washington Post Jan. 11, 2023

When it healed, I could feel a small nubbin of metal.

From The New Yorker Aug. 16, 2015

Yet nothing emerges, not a drop of surrealism, a modicum of mystery or even a nubbin of New Age nuttiness.

From New York Times Mar. 7, 2014

From the roof of Killington there was a 360-degree panorama over nearly the whole of New England and on to Quebec as far as the distant bluish nubbin of Mont Royal.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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