stub

[stuhb]

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noun

a short projecting part.

a short remaining piece, as of a pencil, candle, or cigar.

(in a checkbook, receipt book, etc.) the inner end of each leaf, for keeping a record of the content of the part filled out and torn away.

the returned portion of a ticket.

the end of a fallen tree, shrub, or plant left fixed in the ground; stump.

something having a short, blunt shape, especially a short-pointed, blunt pen.

stub nail.

something having the look of incomplete or stunted growth, as a horn of an animal.

Bridge. a part-score.

verb (used with object), stubbed, stub·bing.

to strike accidentally against a projecting object: I stubbed my toe against the step.

to extinguish the burning end of (a cigarette or cigar) by crushing it against a solid object (often followed by out): He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.

to clear of stubs, as land.

to dig up by the roots; grub up (roots).

Origin of stub

before 1000; (noun) Middle English stubb(e), Old English stubb tree stump; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch stubbe, Old Norse stubbi; akin to Old Norse stūfr stump; (v.) late Middle English stubben to dig up by the roots, clear stumps from (land), derivative of the noun

Related formsstub·ber, noun

stub

[stuhb]

adjective

stocky; squat.

Origin of stub

First recorded in 1705–15; special use of stub¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stub

stump, dock, root, tail, snag, remnant, tag, butt, remainder, counterfoil

Examples from the Web for stub

Contemporary Examples of stub

I felt there were a lot of ways that I could spend the stub end of my life cycle that were more productive.
James Cameron Dives into the Ocean's Abyss
Andrew Romano
July 21, 2014
Instead, they were forced to compromise by having him stub out a cigarette.
From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ Why Is Hollywood Hooked On Embellishing the Truth?
Marina Watts, Marlow Stern
January 8, 2014

Historical Examples of stub

The ground is frozen hard; we stub our toes on the frozen ruts in the road.
A Little Book of Profitable Tales
Eugene Field
There was nothing left of the fingers but the stub of one, and the thumb!
Sure Pop and the Safety Scouts
Roy Rutherford Bailey
Clean the stub of the post thoroughly and also clean the inside of the post builder.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
He took the stub of a lead pencil from the pocket of his shirt.
The Coyote
James Roberts
When you stub your toe while walking, you tend to fall forward.
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne

British Dictionary definitions for stub

stub

noun

a short piece remaining after something has been cut, removed, etca cigar stub

the residual piece or section of a receipt, ticket, cheque, etc

US and Canadian the part of a cheque, postal order, receipt, etc, detached and retained as a record of the transactionAlso called (in Britain) counterfoil

any short projection or blunted end

the stump of a tree or plant

verb stubs, stubbing or stubbed (tr)

to strike (one's toe, foot, etc) painfully against a hard surface

(usually foll by out) to extinguish (a cigarette or cigar) by pressing the end against a surface

to clear (land) of stubs

to dig up (the roots) of (a tree or bush)

Word Origin for stub

Old English stubb; related to Old Norse stubbi, Middle Dutch stubbe, Greek stupos stem, stump

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

Word Origin and History for stub

Old English stybb "stump of a tree," from Proto-Germanic *stubjaz (cf. Middle Dutch stubbe, Old Norse stubbr), from PIE root *(s)teu- (see steep (adj.)). Extended in Middle English to other short, thick things. The verb sense of "strike (one's toe) against" something is first recorded 1848. Meaning "to extinguish a cigarette" is from 1927. Related: Stubbed; stubbing.