1
a
b
: a short piece remaining on a stem or trunk where a branch has been lost
2
: something made or worn to a short or blunt shape
especially
: a pen with a short blunt nib
3
: a short blunt part left after a larger part has been broken off or used up
a pencil stub
4
: something cut short or stunted
5
a
: a small part of a leaf (as of a checkbook) attached to the spine for memoranda of the contents of the part torn away
b
: the part of a ticket returned to the user
stubbed; stubbing
1
a
: to grub up by the roots
b
: to clear (land) by grubbing out rooted growth
c
: to hew or cut down (a tree) close to the ground
2
: to extinguish (something, such as a cigarette) by crushing
3
: to strike (one's foot or toe) against an object
Examples of stub in a Sentence
Noun
Hold onto your ticket stub in case you leave the theater and want to come back in again.
an ashtray full of cigarette stubs
Recent Examples on the Web
Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2025
Others are more like kitchen drawers overflowing with odds and ends: candle stubs, matchbooks, lids to missing jars, takeout menus from restaurants that shut down during Covid.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 2 May 2025
John Archibald, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
There have been stretches of the season when the Wolves look like a bona-fide contender in the West, only to stub their toes on a mediocre team and bring the doubts back to the surface.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stub
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Noun
Don’t be afraid to layer textures like tissue paper, maps, or even ticket stubs for dimension.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2025
Others are more like kitchen drawers overflowing with odds and ends: candle stubs, matchbooks, lids to missing jars, takeout menus from restaurants that shut down during Covid.
—A.o. Scott, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Verb
In 1828, a man named Benjamin Parks stubbed his toe on a stone.
—John Archibald, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
There have been stretches of the season when the Wolves look like a bona-fide contender in the West, only to stub their toes on a mediocre team and bring the doubts back to the surface.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stub
Cite this Entry
“Stub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stub. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stub
1 of 2 noun2
: a pen with a short blunt point
3
: a short part left after a larger part has been broken off or used up
a pencil stub
4
a
: a small part of a check kept as a record of the contents of the check
b
: the part of a ticket returned to the user
stub
2 of 2 verb
stubbed; stubbing
1
: to put out (as a cigarette) by crushing
2
: to strike (as one's toe) against an object
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