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nut

nut

63 4.4
A small metal piece with a screw hole that fits on a bolt
  • noun
  • /nʌt/
translation icon : 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.

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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

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
wing nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
1 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
hex nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
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
square nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
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
thumbnut
vsnut
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
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
packing nut
vsnut
  • Specialized
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

Idioms

to bust a nut
  • Offensive
1 9.9

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

to crack a nut
  • Informal
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
35 8.8

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

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

nut case
  • Slur
9 8.2

A person who behaves in a strange or unexpected way

8 2.3

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

wing nut
  • Offensive
6 9.0

A person with extreme political views that people insult

nut house
  • Slur
5 9.9

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

1 2.7

A smooth spread made from crushed nuts

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

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

1 2.5

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

1 1.8

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

1 5.6

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

1 2.0

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

1 2.5

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

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 2.0

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

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

wing nut
  • Specialized
1 2.8

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

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

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

A very tall tree in the Amazon that produces Brazil nuts

6.1

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

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

Chile nut
  • Specialized
9.9

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

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

cola nut
  • Specialized
6.7

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

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

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

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

areca nut
  • Indian
9.9

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

babassu nut
  • Specialized
9.5

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

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

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

8.8

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

9.2

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

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

7.1

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

A small Australian tree grown for its sweet, edible nuts

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

5.7

A small hard biscuit flavored with ginger often eaten with tea

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

hex nut
  • Specialized
3.6

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

hiccough nut
  • South African
9.9

A shrub or climbing plant from Africa with bright red flowers

hiccup nut
  • South African
9.9

A climbing shrub with bright red flowers used for decoration

A South American palm tree with no visible trunk that produces hard white nuts used for carving

8.2

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

Jesuits' nut
  • Archaic
9.9

A type of water chestnut grown in ponds and eaten as a vegetable

Jesus nut
  • Jargon
9.9

A strong metal part that holds a helicopter's rotor to its shaft and whose failure can cause a crash

9.9

A hard shiny grey seed from a tree often used to make jewelry

7.8

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

nut key
  • Jargon
8.9

A small tool climbers use to pull metal pieces from cracks in rock

5.5

A pine tree that makes seeds you can eat

8.5

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

nut tool
  • Jargon
9.5

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

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

A small shrub with hairy leaves and bright orange-red flowers

Queensland nut
  • Australian
5.9

An Australian tree that produces edible nuts and pink flowers

quandong nut
  • Australian
9.9

A hard edible seed inside the fruit of an Australian tree

How Secure

locknut
  • Specialized
1 6.8
lock washer
  • Specialized
5.1
nut
63 4.4
wing-nut
  • Specialized
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.