stub
/stʌb/ (bre, ipa) · /stʌb/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈstəb/ (ame, mw)
stub — noun
- stubsingular
- stubsplural
1. the small leftover piece that stays behind when the rest of something has been u
the small leftover piece that stays behind when the rest of something has been used up, pulled away, or snapped off.
Kwabena kept the ticket stub in his wallet as proof that he had paid for the journey.
ticket stub: the portion kept as a record after the main ticket is torn off
The pencil was worn down to a stub barely longer than a fingernail.
pencil stub: what remains after a pencil has been sharpened many times
Safiya emptied the glass ashtray, which held nothing but a dozen old cigarette stubs.
After the storm, only a splintered stub remained where the thick oak branch had snapped off.
The cashier tore off the stub and handed the main receipt to Ines with a polite smile.
- butt
specifically the discarded end of a smoked cigarette or cigar; not used for tickets or pencils
- stump
larger and usually organic — the base of a tree, a broken tooth, or an amputated limb
- end
a general term for any terminal part; lacks the sense of something being cut short or leftover
- remnant
more formal; often used for cloth, fabric offcuts, or abstract things ('remnants of the past')
文法句型
a stub of [something]
cigarette stub
ticket stub
pencil stub
用法筆記
Refers to a wide range of leftover pieces: the end of a used pencil, the retained half of a torn ticket, the unsmoked end of a cigarette, or the broken base of a branch. The key idea is that the piece is short and incomplete compared to the original object. Distinguish from 'stump' (sense 1), which is larger and usually organic.
常見錯誤
stub — verb
- stubpresent simple I / you / we / they
- stubs3rd person singular
- stubbing-ing form
- stubbedpast simple
1. to knock your toe sharply against a hard object by mistake, causing a sudden jol
to knock your toe sharply against a hard object by mistake, causing a sudden jolt of pain.
Takeshi stubbed his toe on the metal bed frame and swore under his breath in the dark.
stub + your/his/her toe + on [object]
In the dim hallway, Amara stubbed her toe against a heavy wooden chest someone had left there.
stub + your/her toe + against [object]
The little boy cried out after stubbing his toe on the rough concrete kerb outside the shop.
Running barefoot through the garden, Dinesh stubbed his toe on a hidden rock and fell forward.
Esi stubbed her toe so hard on the bathroom doorframe that the nail turned dark purple.
文法句型
stub + your/his/her + toe + on/against + [hard object]
用法筆記
Almost always used with a possessive pronoun ('my', 'your', 'his', 'her') and 'toe' as the direct object. The hard surface or object follows 'on' or 'against.' The action is always accidental — you cannot deliberately stub your toe in the way this verb describes.
常見錯誤
2. to put out a lit cigarette or cigar by grinding its burning tip firmly against a
to put out a lit cigarette or cigar by grinding its burning tip firmly against a hard surface.
Tariq stubbed out his cigarette on the brick wall before walking into the hospital lobby.
stub + out + [cigarette]: phrasal verb for extinguishing by crushing
The gravel path was dotted with cigarette ends that other visitors had stubbed out carelessly.
passive: [cigarette] + had been stubbed out
Noa leaned over the balcony railing and stubbed out the cigar in a small metal ashtray.
The security guard pointed at the sign and asked the visitor to stub out his cigarette at once.
- extinguish
formal; used for fires and flames in general, not specifically for crushing cigarettes
- put out
the general phrasal verb for stopping something from burning; broader than 'stub out'
- crush out
close in meaning but less idiomatic than 'stub out' for cigarettes
文法句型
stub + out + [cigarette/cigar]
stub + [cigarette/cigar] + out
用法筆記
Always used with the particle 'out.' Without 'out,' the verb has a different meaning (compare sense 1: 'stub your toe'). The object is almost always a cigarette, cigar, or similar item that can be extinguished by pressing its tip against something solid.