What does stubbing mean?
“Stubbing” most often means shortening something by cutting it back so that a small end remains. A person may stub a beard, hedge, branch, or piece of metal, while stubbing a toe means striking it against a hard object. In another common sense, to stub out a cigarette or cigar is to extinguish it by pressing its burning end against a surface. The word can function as a gerund naming an action, but it is not commonly used as a standalone noun. Its basic image is one of a projecting or remaining fragment: after something has been cut back, the leftover piece is the stub. Although “stubbing” is simple and familiar, it describes several related actions involving reduction, interruption, or extinguishment.
To cut or shorten something so that a small projecting piece remains; to extinguish a cigarette or cigar; or to injure a toe by striking it against something hard.
"He stubbed out the cigarette and placed it carefully in an ashtray."
“Stub out” is the usual expression for extinguishing a cigarette or cigar.
The act or an instance of stubbing something, such as a toe.
"The stubbing of the hedge gave the garden a tidier appearance."
This gerund use is less common than the verb and is chiefly used when naming the action.
A cigarette stub is the small remnant left behind at the end—and a concise word for that final trace.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stubbing come from?
The word comes from the Old English noun “stybb,” meaning a small projecting piece, splinter, or pen stub. Modern senses developed from that physical sense: to cut something back so that a stub remains, to injure a toe by striking it, and to extinguish a cigarette by crushing or pressing its end. “Stubble” and “stubbly” developed through the same root, while “stub-axe” combines the older noun with “axe.”
Related word forms
How stubbing is actually used
“Stub out” is standard informal usage for extinguishing a cigarette or cigar. The word also occurs as a gerund, as in “the stubbing of the hedge,” though the verb form is much more common.