- (often in compounds) a small hard fruit with a very hard shell that grows on some trees
- to crack a nut (= open it)
- a cashew nut
- a hazelnut
- nuts and raisins
- chopped nuts
- She is allergic to nuts.
- She has a severe nut allergy.
- a nut roast/cutlet
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cashew
- macadamia
- pistachio
- …
- crack
- shell
- allergy
- oil
- tree
- …
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- a small piece of metal with a hole through the centre that is screwed onto a bolt to hold pieces of wood, parts of machines, etc. together
- to tighten a nut
- a wheel nut
- a jar full of nuts and bolts
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + nut- put on
- screw on
- tighten
- …
- nuts and bolts
- (British English, slang) a person’s head or brain
- (British English also nutter)(informal, offensive) an offensive word for a person who you think is strange or crazy see also nuts, nutty
- (informal) (in compounds) a person who is extremely interested in a particular subject, activity, etc.
- a fitness/tennis/computer nut
- nuts[plural] (slang) a man’s testicles
Word OriginOld English hnutu, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch noot and German Nuss.
Idioms
See nut in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee nut in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishdo your nut
- (British English, informal) to become very angry
- She’ll do her nut when she finds out!
a hard/tough nut
- (informal) a person who is difficult to deal with or to influence
a hard/tough nut (to crack)
- a difficult problem or situation to deal with
the nuts and bolts (of something)
- (informal) the basic practical details of a subject or an activity
- The documentary focuses on the real nuts and bolts of the film-making process.
off your nut
- (British English, informal) crazy
use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
- to use more force than is necessary
Check pronunciation:
nut