stub

1 of 2

noun

ˈstəb 

1

a

: stump sense 2

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

stub

2 of 2

verb

stubbed; stubbing

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

Noun

• end
• fag end
• leftover
• oddment
• remainder
• remnant
• scrap

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

Noun

Take it from someone who was 15 years old at the end of the ’90s, with the Family Values ticket stub to prove it: Y2K, the new horror-comedy from Saturday Night Live alum Kyle Mooney, operates pretty well as a window into the culture of the Windows 98 generation. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

The black box also contained a Polaroid and scraps of miscellaneous ticket stubs and papers, among other items. —Jennifer Earl, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2024

Verb

Also, avoid extinguishing/stubbing them on stairs or railings. —Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024

Injuries from stubbing your toe, dropping a heavy object on it, or persistent pressure from poorly fitting shoes or activities like running can cause the toenail to separate from the nail bed. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stubb, from Old English stybb; akin to Old Norse stūfr stump, Greek stypos stem

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing stub

• pay stub
• stub one's toe

Kids Definition

stub

1 of 2 noun

ˈstəb 

1

: stump entry 1 sense 2

2

: 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