stud

Pluralstuds

Formsstuds, studding, studded

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A small object that projects from a surface, such as an ornamental knob.

   Her leather jacket was covered in silver studs and zippers.

   Each stud on the antique door was hand-forged and set in a neat diamond pattern.

   Similarknob, rivet, boss

   Note

   Studs have been an ornament in English verse for centuries. Marlowe's passionate shepherd promises a belt "with coral clasps and amber studs", and Milton's Paradise Regain'd (1671) has crystal cups embossed with gems and studs of pearl. The word still covers the plainer metal studs on a collar or a leather jacket. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • Ornamental studs have appeared in English verse for centuries. gutenberg.org
   • In Christopher Marlowe's poem, the shepherd promises a belt with the quoted clasps and studs. en.wikisource.org
   • John Milton wrote Paradise Regain'd, first published in 1671. en.wikipedia.org
   • Paradise Regain'd describes crystal cups embossed with gems and pearl studs. gutenberg.org
2. 2
   breeding malenouncountable

   An animal, especially a stallion, kept for breeding.

   The ranch charges a hefty fee for its prize stud, a gray Arabian stallion.

   Several of the studs on the farm have sired national champions.

   UsageA male offered for breeding stands at stud, and a racehorse is retired to stud.

   Similarstallion, sire

   Note

   Here the stud is the male whose services are sold to other breeders, and in a pedigree the same animal is called the sire. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • A stud male's breeding services are supplied to other breeders for a fee. en.wikipedia.org
   • The male parent is identified as the sire in its offspring's pedigree. akc.org
3. 3
   earringnouncountable

   A style of earring in which the decoration is mounted on a straight post.

   For the wedding she chose simple pearl studs instead of dangling earrings.

   He has a small silver stud in his left ear.

   Note

   The post passes through the piercing and is held behind the earlobe by a small back, often a clutch or a screw, so nothing hangs below the ear. That is what sets a stud apart from a hoop or a drop earring, and it makes studs easy for everyday wear; piercers also fit starter studs in a fresh piercing. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • The post passes through the piercing and is secured behind the earlobe by a back, including clutch or screw backs. en.wikipedia.org
   • Ordinary studs sit on the ear without hanging down, making them comfortable for everyday wear. floadesign.com
4. 4
   sprinkle inverbtransitive

   To set small objects, such as studs, nails, or pieces of food, into a surface at intervals.

   Stud the pork roast with slivers of garlic before it goes in the oven.

   The gardener studded the lawn with crocus bulbs so they would come up in scattered clumps.

   UsageThe surface or food comes first, then with: stud the onion with cloves.

   Note

   Whatever does the studding, whether metal studs in leather, bulbs in soil or garlic in a roast, is set into the surface at intervals, the way cloves are pushed into an onion, rather than simply scattered on top. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Cloves are pushed into an onion when studding it. deliaonline.com
5. 5
   wall postnouncountable

   One of the upright pieces of wood or metal in the frame of a wall, to which drywall, plaster laths or other coverings are fixed.

   Screw the shelf brackets into a stud, not just the drywall, or they will pull loose.

   In the old farmhouse, the plaster had crumbled away to reveal the lath nailed across the studs.

   Similarupright, post

   Note

   Studs are the upright members of a framed wall, running between a horizontal plate at the bottom and another at the top. In older houses thin wooden laths were nailed across them and plastered; today drywall is usually fixed straight onto them, which is why finding a stud matters before anything heavy goes on the wall. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • Wall studs are vertical framing members between horizontal bottom and top plates. basc.pnnl.gov
   • Older houses used thin wooden laths nailed across studs as a base for plaster. home.nps.gov
   • Drywall is commonly attached directly to studs. en.wikipedia.org
   • Locating studs matters when mounting heavy objects on framed walls. zircon.com
6. 6
   verbtransitive

   Of things, to be scattered or set at intervals across a surface or area.

   Wooden farmhouses stud the rolling hills of the valley.

   Typos studded the first draft of her essay.

   UsageAlso common as studded with: a sky studded with stars.

   Similardot, pepper, litter, sprinkle, speckle

   Note

   Here the scattered things are the subject: young hot stars stud a nebula's central region, farmhouses stud the hills. Turned around, the surface takes the subject's place with studded with, as in a region studded with stars. The sense of setting things in puts a person in charge of the scattering instead.

7. 7
   sexy mannouncolloquialcountable

   A man who is sexually attractive and has many casual sexual partners.

   In college he had a reputation as a stud, with a different date every weekend.

   The soap opera's studs spend most episodes jumping from one affair to the next.

   Similarstallion, hunk

   Note

   Swagger comes with the word from the farm meaning, and stallion is a synonym. It is as often a boast or a tease as an insult: Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy admits he ain't a for-real cowboy, "but I am one hell of a stud!" A jokey feminine, studette, has turned up beside it, as in soap-opera studs and studettes. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • The human sense derives from the farm-animal sense, grouped under the same etymology in Wiktionary. en.wiktionary.org
   • Stallion is a synonym in the human sexual sense. en.wiktionary.org
   • Joe Buck says the quoted words in Midnight Cowboy; helluva represents hell of a. en.wikiquote.org
   • Studette is an attested feminine form, including the phrase soap-opera studs and studettes. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   boltnouncountable

   A short metal rod or bolt, often threaded at both ends, fixed in one part and projecting from it.

   Each cylinder head is held down by ten studs and nuts.

   He snapped a stud while tightening the exhaust manifold and had to drill it out of the block.

   Note

   Unlike an ordinary bolt, a stud has no head: it is a rod threaded at both ends, one end screwed into a tapped hole and left there, the other taking a nut. Parts such as a cylinder head can then come off and go back on without wearing out the threads in the block. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • A stud of this type is headless, unlike an ordinary bolt. web.mae.ufl.edu
   • The rod is threaded at both ends. en.wikipedia.org
   • One end engages a threaded hole, while the other takes a nut. web.mae.ufl.edu
   • Leaving studs in the block allows cylinder-head removal and replacement without the thread wear caused by repeatedly removing bolts. motor.com
9. 9
   nounslangUScountableus

   Someone exceptionally talented and capable, in particular a standout athlete or a leading player.

   The rookie shortstop has been an absolute stud at the plate all season.

   Every coach in the conference wants to recruit the studs from that high school.

   Similarstar, standout, ace

   Note

   Locker rooms and sportscasts are its home: in American slang a stud is the player opponents fear, and the word suits a sports column better than a cover letter. Like the sexually attractive man, it probably goes back to the prize breeding stallion, an animal kept for its outstanding qualities, and because the two share the word, it can carry a double meaning outside sports talk. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • Breeding stallions are valued for outstanding qualities, including athletic performance. oaktrust.library.tamu.edu
10. 10
    breeding farmnouncountable

    A place where horses or other animals are kept for breeding, or the group of animals kept there.

    He spent his summers working at a thoroughbred stud, mucking out stalls and walking yearlings.

    The country's leading studs sell their best yearlings at the fall auctions.

11. 11
    shoe gripnouncountable

    One of the small projections on the sole of a shoe, also called a cleat.

    He swapped in longer studs because the field was muddy after the rain.

    A loose stud can leave a nasty gash if a tackle goes wrong.

    Similarcleat

12. 12
    pokernoununcountable

    A form of poker in which players cannot discard and some of each player's cards are dealt face up.

    The casino's back room ran a high-stakes game of seven-card stud every Friday.

    He preferred stud to draw poker because he liked reading the cards his opponents showed.

    UsageUsually named by the number of cards: five-card stud, seven-card stud.

    Note

    Versions of the game are named by the number of cards each player receives, and five-card stud and seven-card stud are the classics. Some cards are dealt face down and the rest face up, with betting after the opening deal and after each later card, so players read the cards on show instead of drawing replacements. In full it is stud poker. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts

    • Five-card stud and seven-card stud take their numerical names from the number of cards dealt to each player and are foundational stud variants. en.wikipedia.org
    • Stud combines face-down and face-up cards. en.wikipedia.org
    • The first betting round follows an initial deal of two cards in five-card stud or three cards in seven-card stud; subsequent individual cards are followed by betting rounds. wsoponline.com
    • Players use exposed cards as information and do not draw replacements. en.wiktionary.org
    • Exposed cards inform players' decisions. en.wikipedia.org
    • The fuller name is stud poker. en.wiktionary.org

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