stub

[ stuhb ]

/ stʌb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stub ON THESAURUS.COM

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).

Nearby words

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 ]

/ stʌb /

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
I used to stub my toe so; you ought to recollect me by that.
Back Home|Eugene Wood
Bennie was already dressed, and Zephyr, throwing the stub of his cigarette through the open window, followed him to the kitchen.
Blue Goose|Frank Lewis Nason

He relighted his stub of cigar and bent proud gaze on the bird.
The Skipper and the Skipped|Holman Day
A stub left on a trunk or large branch does not heal, but soon begins to rot at the end where the heartwood is exposed.
Apple Growing|M. C. Burritt
There they sat far into the night, with old envelopes and Keogh's stub of blue pencil between them.
Cabbages and Kings|O. Henry

British Dictionary definitions for stub

stub

/ (stʌb) /

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

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.

stub

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of stub

stub

adjective

Origin of stub

Examples from the Web for stub

stub

noun

verb stubs, stubbing or stubbed (tr)

Word Origin for stub

stub