nub
Americannoun
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the point, gist, or heart of something.
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a knob or protuberance.
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a lump or small piece.
a nub of coal; a nub of pencil.
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a small mass of fibers produced on a card, dyed brilliant colors, and introduced into yarn during the spinning process.
noun
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a small lump or protuberance
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a small piece or chunk
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the point or gist
the nub of a story
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a small fibrous knot in yarn
Other Word Forms
- nubbly adjective
Etymology
Origin of nub
1585–95; < Low German, Middle Low German knubbe; knob
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Calvin looked annoyed at the request, but Ella dug around in her bag and thrust a crumpled scrap of paper and the nub of a pencil into my hand.
From Literature
However, a judge ordered the council to re-look at the complaint, saying it had not considered the nub of the matter - whether the fouling constituted a "statutory nuisance".
From BBC
He jotted down this bon mot with his pencil nub.
From Literature
Roz carefully opened the lid and examined its contents: a collection of farming magazines, a pair of leather gloves, a pencil nub.
From Literature
But voices were growing for stronger action, saying the monarch was failing to get at the nub of the problem: in the public’s eye, the disgraced prince continues to live…well, like a prince.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
