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
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
Many seized the chance to huddle close to the field, regardless of what their ticket stubs said, presumably—the ushers did not appear to be checking seat assignments.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The Dodgers have now seen two of their former MVPs miss time, one because of a fall in the shower and another from stubbing his toe.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stub
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show current usage.
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Noun
When the new Gateway tunnel opens, doubling the number of tubes under the Hudson, through running those trains to Grand Central (the best option) or out to Queens and Long Island is far smarter than demolishing Block 780 to the south for a dead-end stub terminal, now pegged to cost $17 billion!
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
Many seized the chance to huddle close to the field, regardless of what their ticket stubs said, presumably—the ushers did not appear to be checking seat assignments.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, a woman stubs out her cigarette in her own ashtray, a mini glass jam jar.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The Dodgers have now seen two of their former MVPs miss time, one because of a fall in the shower and another from stubbing his toe.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 31 May 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 29 Jul. 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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