stud

¹ American  

[stuhd] / stʌd /

noun

1. a boss, knob, nailhead, or other protuberance projecting from a surface or part, especially as an ornament.

2. any of various buttonlike, usually ornamental objects, mounted on a shank that is passed through an article of clothing to fasten it.

   a collar stud.

3. any of a number of slender, upright members of wood, steel, etc., forming the frame of a wall or partition and covered with plasterwork, siding, etc.

4. any of various projecting pins, lugs, or the like, on machines or other implements.

5. Automotive. any of a large number of small projecting lugs embedded in an automobile tire studded tire to improve traction on snowy or icy roads.

6. an earring consisting of a small, buttonlike ornament mounted on a metal post designed to pass through a pierced ear lobe.

7. Horology. the piece to which the fixed end of a hairspring is attached.

---

verb (used with object)

studded, studding

1. to set with or as if with studs, bosses, or the like.

   The leather-covered door was studded with brass nails.

2. (of things) to be scattered over the expanse or surface of.

   Stars stud the sky.

3. to set or scatter (objects) at intervals over an expanse or surface.

   to stud raisins over a cake.

4. to furnish with or support by studs.

adjective

1. ornamented with rivets, nailheads, or other buttonlike, usually metallic objects.

   a stud belt.

stud ² American  

[stuhd] / stʌd /

noun

1. a studhorse or stallion.

2. an establishment, such as a farm, in which horses are kept for breeding.

3. a number of horses, usually for racing or hunting, bred or kept by one owner.

4. a male animal, such as a bull or ram, kept for breeding.

5. a herd of animals kept for breeding.

6. Slang.

   1. a man who is notably virile and sexually active.

   2. a handsome man with an attractive physique; a hunk.

   3. a young man.

7. Poker. stud poker.

8. a Black woman or girl, especially a lesbian, who embraces identity markers, such as clothing, hairstyle, interests, or behaviors that are associated with traditional expressions of masculinity.

   Masculine women are my type so I've dated a lot of studs.

---

adjective

1. of, associated with, or pertaining to a studhorse or studhorses.

2. retained for breeding purposes.

3. noting or relating to a Black woman or girl, especially a lesbian, who embraces identity markers, such as clothing, hairstyle, interests, or behaviors, that are associated with traditional expressions of masculinity; butch.

   There's a lot of stud lesbians in the club tonight!

idioms

1. at / in stud, (of a male animal) offered for the purpose of breeding.

stud. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. student.

---

stud ¹ British  

/ stʌd /

noun

1. a large-headed nail or other projection protruding from a surface, usually as decoration

2. a type of fastener consisting of two discs at either end of a short shank, used to fasten shirtfronts, collars, etc

3. building trades a vertical member made of timber, steel, etc, that is used with others to construct the framework of a wall

4. a headless bolt that is threaded at both ends, the centre portion being unthreaded

5. any short projection on a machine, such as the metal cylinder that forms a journal for the gears on a screw-cutting lathe

6. the crossbar in the centre of a link of a heavy chain

7. one of a number of rounded projections on the sole of a boot or shoe to give better grip, as on a football boot

---

verb

1. to provide, ornament, or make with studs

2. to dot or cover (with)

   the park was studded with daisies

3. building trades to provide or support (a wall, partition, etc) with studs

stud ² British  

/ stʌd /

noun

1. a group of pedigree animals, esp horses, kept for breeding purposes

2. any male animal kept principally for breeding purposes, esp a stallion

3. a farm or stable where a stud is kept

4. the state or condition of being kept for breeding purposes

   at stud

   put to stud

5. (modifier) of or relating to such animals or the place where they are kept

   a stud farm

   a stud horse

6. slang a virile or sexually active man

7. short for stud poker

---

Other Word Forms

• unstudded adjective

Etymology

Origin of stud¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English stod(e), stud(e), “upright post; ornamental knob,” Old English stod, studu “stake, post”; cognate with Middle High German stud, Old Norse stoth “pillar, post, support”

Origin of stud²

First recorded before 1000, and in 1920–25 stud ² for def. 6; Middle English stod(e), stud(e), Old English stōd “a stud, herd of horses,” cognate with Old Norse stōth; akin to stand

Explanation

A stud is a metal piece that sticks out, usually for decoration. You might have studs spelling out "Mom" on your leather jacket. Straight, simple earrings — a single pearl on a straight post, for instance — are also called studs. There are a few meanings of stud that you should know if you are an equestrian or in construction. A stud is a male horse used for breeding, and it’s also slang for a macho he-man. If you want to hang a heavy mirror on a wall, you have to find the studs — the upright boards behind the wall — and hammer your nails into the studs, so the nails are anchored to something solid so they can support the weight of the mirror.

Example Sentences

"The footprints of craftworking buildings were found along with evidence for different stages of production, including the creation of vellum, pigments for the pages and glass stud mounts for the cover and bindings," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

If you get a stud in your navel or a little tattoo on your ankle, you aren’t likely to look back later and kick yourself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

In the Zaporizhzhia stud farm, the evacuations continued, with over a dozen transports already carried out.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

But when the team reemerged in full pads for warm-ups, the Trojans stud receiver was wearing sweatpants.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2025

Everybody in Moon’s Gym was a super stud.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• button