Skip to main content
nut

nut

52 4.4
A small metal piece with a screw hole that fits on a bolt
  • noun
  • /nʌt/
: tuerca
  • As he twists, grimaces, and kicks to get off the lug nuts, it starts to rain.
  • nuts and bolts
  • hex nut
  • nut and washer

There we go and then we will put the nuts back on and tighten them down.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • OK, let's start by just undoing these two little nuts at the back.

  • A thread shaft runs through a nut incorporated in the sliding bracket.

    Academic text (1991)
  • You want a Bolt, you want a nut, you want a steering wheel.

  • Also, the nut is spinning freely in the disc.

  • But it's a racing-roadster wheel nut, Jack.

  • Hold on to your lug nuts!

  • Also in the trunk is the center lock nut remover for the center lock wheels.

  • The bottom disk can swivel, and I lock it in place with a nut welded onto the bolt.

  • The puller's knurled adjustment nut requires only 8.5 turns to secure the puller.

    Academic text (1995)
  • You need to use a wrench to tighten the nut on that bolt.

Synonyms

wing nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
2 2.8

A small metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand

is normally turned with a tool rather than adjusted by hand
locknut
vsnut
  • Specialized
1 6.8

An extra nut screwed onto a main nut to stop it coming loose

is the single primary fastener used alone rather than an added locking piece
hex nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A small metal piece with six flat sides that screws onto a bolt to hold things together

is the general type rather than a specifically six sided shape
thumbnut
vsnut
1 9.2

A small nut with ridged wings you can turn by hand

is the usual metal block requiring tools rather than designed for hand turning
square nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A small metal piece with four flat sides that fits on a bolt to hold things together

is the general type rather than a specifically four sided shape
packing nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A small metal piece you tighten to press seal material and stop leaks on valves or pumps

is the general fastener for securing bolts rather than a sealing component
safety nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
6.6

A second metal piece that screws onto a bolt to stop it from loosening

is the basic fastening piece rather than an extra device to stop loosening

Idioms

to bust a nut
  • Offensive
5 9.9

To release semen during sex and used jokingly to show extreme excitement

to crack a nut
  • Informal
1 7.3

To use much more force or effort than needed to solve a small problem

To use much more effort or help than needed to do a small task

off one's nut
  • Offensive
9.9

Acting in a very strange and not sensible way

To use far more force or effort than needed for a small task

Compounds

nut job
  • Slur
38 8.8

A rude word for a person who acts in a very strange or crazy way

nut case
  • Slur
20 8.2

A person who behaves in a strange or unexpected way

15 3.9

A hard round seed with a sweet, creamy taste often used in cooking and baking

wing nut
  • Offensive
10 9.0

A person with extreme political views that people insult

9 2.3

An edible seed from some pine trees used in cooking and baking

nut house
  • Slur
7 9.9

An insulting slang word for a hospital for people with mental illness

5 2.0

Two metal pieces, a bolt and a matching nut, that hold parts together by screwing

3 2.5

A large three-sided nut with white oily meat and a hard brown shell

3 2.7

A smooth spread made from crushed nuts

2 2.5

A sweet snack of nuts and sugar on a thin baked base cut into bars

A small green seed from a tree that you eat as a snack or in cooking

wing nut
  • Specialized
2 2.8

A small metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand

2 1.8

A kidney-shaped nut roasted before eating and used as a snack or in cooking

betel nut
  • Indian
1 8.3

A seed chewed with betel leaves and lime to make you feel more awake, often in South and Southeast Asia

1 1.8

A bread made with chopped nuts mixed into the dough

1 2.1

A tree that grows nuts you can eat

1 5.6

A hard nut from a North American tree that you can eat

1 7.4

A small round Chinese fruit with a thin shell, soft sweet inside, and one seed

1 6.1

A peanut that is still in its shell, often with two nuts inside

1 7.1

A bitter brown seed from a West African tree used to help people feel more awake and flavor cola

cola nut
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A bitter brown seed from a West African tree that contains caffeine and is used to flavor drinks

wing-nut
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A metal nut with two flat wings for tightening by hand

A sweet moist loaf that has chopped dates and nuts, often eaten as a snack or dessert

palm nut
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A seed from an oil palm tree that people use to make oil

1 2.0

A hard-shelled seed with an edible part inside, like an almond or walnut

areca nut
  • Indian
1 9.9

A seed from a palm tree chewed with betel leaves and lime in South and Southeast Asia

1 2.1

A tall Amazon rainforest tree that makes large seeds you can eat

1 6.2

An edible seed from some pine trees eaten as a snack or used in cooking

1 5.7

A small hard biscuit flavored with ginger often eaten with tea

oil nut
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A soft oily fruit from the rabbitwood tree used for oil

hex nut
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A small metal piece with six flat sides that screws onto a bolt to hold things together

1 5.5

A pine tree that makes seeds you can eat

1 7.8

A grasslike plant with small edible parts under the ground that often grows as a weed

A very tall tree in the Amazon that produces Brazil nuts

1 2.2

A layer of chopped nuts used to add flavor and crunch to food

wing nut
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A tree with small winged seeds that grows near rivers in Asia

wing-nut
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A tree that makes small nuts with wing-like parts that the wind carries

1 8.2

A hard white seed from a South American palm used to make buttons and small objects

1 9.2

A liquid from the nuts of a tropical tree that people use for cooking and for skin and hair

1 6.1

A metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand to hold things together

babassu nut
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A hard-shelled palm nut that gives oil and has an inside you can eat

A small Australian tree grown for its sweet, edible nuts

square nut
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A small metal piece with four flat sides that fits on a bolt to hold things together

Chile nut
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A shrub from Chile with red fruit and edible seeds like hazelnuts

1 8.3

A large tree from the eastern United States that makes very big, sweet nuts

1 8.8

A tree in the eastern United States that makes very large edible nuts

1 8.5

A grass-like plant with small round edible underground tubers that often grows as a weed

nut tool
  • Jargon
1 9.5

A small metal hook climbers use to pull stuck climbing nuts from rock cracks

packing nut
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A small metal piece you tighten to press seal material and stop leaks on valves or pumps

souari nut
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A large South American evergreen tree that makes edible seeds used for cooking oil

bonduc nut
  • Australian
9.9

A hard shiny gray seed often used to make necklaces and beads

A large nut you can eat with a hard brown shell and creamy white inside from South America

buffalo nut
  • Specialized
9.9

An oily soft fruit from the rabbitwood tree

buffalo nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A shrub that attaches to hemlock roots and has small green flowers and soft fruits

4.6

An edible seed from some pine trees like Swiss pine used in cooking or as a snack

An edible seed from the Swiss pine with a mild taste often eaten raw or roasted

A large pine tree from the high Alps that makes edible seeds called cembra nuts

9.1

A Chilean shrub that produces red fruit with an edible seed like a hazelnut

cohune nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A large nut from a palm that gives oil and has a hard shell carved like ivory

A thick cooking oil from the nuts of a cohune palm that people also use to make soap

A fragrant black seed from the tonka bean tree used like vanilla in food and perfume

coquilla nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A hard brown nut from a South American palm used for carving and instead of ivory

9.9

An oily seed from the wild mango tree that people eat or press for oil

9.9

A plant from Europe with small edible tubers that people eat and use to add flavor

elk nut
  • Specialized
9.9

An oily small fruit from a rabbitwood bush that elk eat

9.8

A hard white seed from a South American palm tree that people polish to make buttons

A medium-sized tree from southern Europe with a wide top that makes edible seeds like small almonds

A tropical tree that produces large brown nuts containing caffeine used to make cola drinks

6.7

A tall West African tree that produces large brown seeds used for cola flavor

A small pine tree from Mexico and southern Texas with edible seeds and short needles

9.9

A large brown nut from an African tree that contains caffeine and gives cola flavor

grugru nut
  • Specialized
9.9

An edible nut from palm trees that grow in Brazil or the Caribbean

hiccough nut
  • South African
9.9

A shrub or climbing plant from Africa with bright red flowers

How Secure

locknut
  • Specialized
1 6.8
lock washer
  • Specialized
1 5.1
nut
52 4.4
wing-nut
  • Specialized
1 5.3

Surface Forms

nut singular
nuts plural

Etymology

Nut for the little metal block was named by comparison with the edible nut because it is a small, hard object that fits tightly, like a seed in a shell. So a hardware nut is a small metal piece with a thread that holds a bolt in place.