Nut (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

noun
  1. a dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell.
  2. the kernel itself.
  3. a hard, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit, as the chestnut or the acorn.
  4. any of various devices or ornaments resembling a nut.
  5. a block, usually of metal and generally square or hexagonal, perforated with a threaded hole so that it can be screwed down on a bolt to hold together objects through which the bolt passes.
  6. the head.
  7. Slang.
    • a person who is very enthusiastic about something; buff; enthusiast; devotee: He's a real circus nut.
    • an extremely concerned or zealous person: My boss is a nut on double-checking everything.
  8. Slang.
    • a foolish, silly, or eccentric person.
    • an insane person; psychotic.
  9. a testis.
  10. Informal.
    • the operating expenses, usually figured weekly, of a theatrical production or other commercial enterprise; a break-even point.
    • the total cost of producing a theatrical production or of forming and opening any new business venture.
  11. Music. (in instruments of the violin family)
    • the ledge, as of ebony, at the upper end of the fingerboard, over which the strings pass.
    • the movable piece at the lower end of the bow, by means of which the hairs may be slackened or tightened.
  12. en (def. 2).
verb (used without object), nut·ted, nut·ting.
  1. to seek for or gather nuts: to go nutting in late autumn.
Idioms
  1. soup (def. 7).
  2. hard nut to crack,
    • a problem difficult to solve; a formidable undertaking.
    • a person difficult to know, understand, or convince.
  3. off one's nut, Slang.
    • foolish, silly, or insane.
    • confused; unreasonable.
    • mistaken or wrong: You're off your nut if you think such a plan can succeed.
noun Egyptian Religion.
  1. the goddess of the sky, sometimes shown as a cow bearing Ra on her back and the stars on her underside.
abbreviation British.
  1. National Union of Teachers.
noun
  1. a dry one-seeded indehiscent fruit that usually possesses a woody wall
  2. any similar fruit, such as the walnut, having a hard shell and an edible kernel
  3. the edible kernel of such a fruit
  4. slang
    • an eccentric person
    • a person who is mentally disturbed
  5. a slang word for head (def. 1)
  6. to be extremely angry; go into a rage
  7. mad, crazy, or foolish
  8. a person or thing that presents difficulties (esp in the phrase a tough or hard nut to crack)
  9. a small square or hexagonal block, usu. metal, with a threaded hole through the middle for screwing on the end of a bolt
  10. a variously shaped small metal block, usually a wedge or hexagonal prism (originally an ordinary engineer's nut) with a wire or rope loop attached, for jamming into a crack to provide security
  11. Also called (US and Canadian): frog music
    • the ledge or ridge at the upper end of the fingerboard of a violin, cello, etc, over which the strings pass to the tuning pegs
    • the end of a violin bow that is held by the player
  12. printing another word for en
  13. a small usually gingery biscuit
  14. a small piece of coal
verb nuts, nutting or nutted
  1. to gather nuts
  2. to butt (someone) with the head
abbreviation for (in Britain)
  1. National Union of Teachers
    Nut (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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