Definition

1. Noun:
   • Short, stiff hairs growing on a man's face when he has not shaved for a few days: The rough, short growth of beard that appears after shaving.
   • The short, stiff stalks of grain or other plants left in the ground after harvesting: The basal parts of cereal plants, corn, etc., remaining attached to the soil after the crop is cut.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Facial Hair):
  • He had three days of dark stubble on his chin.
  • The actor grew stubble for his role as a rugged detective.
• Noun (Plant Material):
  • The farmer burned the stubble in the field after the wheat harvest.
  • Birds searched for seeds among the dry stubble.

Advanced Usage

• "Stubble field": A field covered with the short stalks left after a crop has been harvested.
  • The landscape was a patchwork of golden stubble fields.
• Used metaphorically to describe anything short, rough, and residual.
  • The lawn was mowed so short it was just stubble.

Variants and Related Words

• Stubbly (adjective): Having or resembling stubble; rough with short, stiff projections.
  • His stubbly cheek scratched her face.

Synonyms

• For facial hair: Five o'clock shadow, bristles, short beard.
• For plant material: Stalks, straw, haulm.

Related Phrases

• To be in stubble: (Of a field) To be covered with the short remains of a harvested crop.
  • The entire region was in stubble by late autumn.

Related Idioms

• To burn one's stubble: Literally, to set fire to the crop residues in a field. Can be used figuratively to mean to hastily dispose of something, potentially causing future problems.
  • By firing his entire team, the new manager may have burned his stubble, leaving no experienced staff.

Noun

1. short stiff hairs growing on a man's face when he has not shaved for a few days
2. material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds