chest·nut
ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət 
1
a
: any of a genus (Castanea) of trees or shrubs of the beech family
especially
: an American tree (C. dentata) that was formerly a dominant or codominant member of many deciduous forests of the eastern U.S. but has now been largely eliminated by the chestnut blight and seldom grows beyond the shrub or sapling stage
b
: the edible nut of a chestnut
c
: the wood of a chestnut
2
: a grayish to reddish brown
3
4
: a chestnut-colored animal
specifically
: a horse having a body color of any shade of pure or reddish brown with mane, tail, and points of the same or a lighter shade compare bay entry 2 sense 1, sorrel entry 1 sense 1
5
: a callosity on the inner side of the leg of the horse see horse illustration
6
a
: an old joke or story
b
: something (such as a musical piece or a saying) repeated to the point of staleness
1
: of the color chestnut
2
: of, relating to, or resembling a chestnut
Synonyms
Examples of chestnut in a Sentence
Noun
an op-ed piece that's offers nothing but warmed-over chestnuts for solving the city's financial woes
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Imagine: serving a Mont Blanc without chestnuts, or calling a plate of beans a cassoulet.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Become a Subscriber But in modern American life, chestnuts are almost entirely absent.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2023
In the mouth voluptuous waves of black fruits, red cherries, black licorice and even roast chestnuts.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
But while chestnuts may be roasting on an open fire somewhere, the only thing burning here at EW are our questions for the Netflix drama's showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2023
Become a Subscriber There’s a chance that this year’s Oscar host, Jimmy Kimmel, will bring out that old chestnut with regard to Barbie, which netted eight nods, including Best Picture, but saw its director, Greta Gerwig, ignored in her category.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2024
The scenery perfectly complemented the elevated meal of slow-roasted free-range turkey, heirloom apple and sage stuffing, sweet potato puree, garlic lemon green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and pomegranate, and a spiced cranberry orange compote served with turkey and giblet gravy.
—Brande Victorian, Essence, 27 Nov. 2023
Roam four acres filled with Victorian theaters, pubs and dance halls while enticing aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty foods fill the air and dozens of lamplit shops overflow with handmade gifts.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2024
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Her bright red-orange shade gives a stunning vividness to her face.
19 of 30
Kate Walsh
McDreamy's ex-wife rocks a deep russet, which is an incredibly accessible red for those trying to ramp up their chestnut locks.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024
The slim, soft shoes are made from velvety suede, have lightweight and breathable linings, offer enough tread for wintery excursions, and come in two classic colors: chestnut brown and black.
—Rachel Simon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2023
Eligible coffee drinks from the holiday menu include the caramel brulée latte, chestnut praline latte, gingerbread latte, oleato gingerbread oat milk latte, peppermint mocha and sugar cookie almond milk latte.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Featuring soft lining and a foam footbed, the Tasman slippers come in colors like chestnut, black, gray, and more.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024
Scrub Hub:What is being done in Indiana to bring back American chestnut trees?
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Choose between three versatile hues, including classic black, chestnut brown, and light sand, all three of which are available in women’s and men’s sizing.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2024
Most notably, the home’s library was made from chestnut wood that is hundreds of years old.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
But some of the chestnuts really blossomed to life with this version of the band.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Imagine: serving a Mont Blanc without chestnuts, or calling a plate of beans a cassoulet.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Become a Subscriber But in modern American life, chestnuts are almost entirely absent.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2023
In the mouth voluptuous waves of black fruits, red cherries, black licorice and even roast chestnuts.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
But while chestnuts may be roasting on an open fire somewhere, the only thing burning here at EW are our questions for the Netflix drama's showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2023
Become a Subscriber There’s a chance that this year’s Oscar host, Jimmy Kimmel, will bring out that old chestnut with regard to Barbie, which netted eight nods, including Best Picture, but saw its director, Greta Gerwig, ignored in her category.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2024
The scenery perfectly complemented the elevated meal of slow-roasted free-range turkey, heirloom apple and sage stuffing, sweet potato puree, garlic lemon green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and pomegranate, and a spiced cranberry orange compote served with turkey and giblet gravy.
—Brande Victorian, Essence, 27 Nov. 2023
Roam four acres filled with Victorian theaters, pubs and dance halls while enticing aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty foods fill the air and dozens of lamplit shops overflow with handmade gifts.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 1 Jan. 2024
Adjective
The sky behind it is aglow with a bright golden hue that rises through orange and red into a warm chestnut brown, suggesting night.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Her bright red-orange shade gives a stunning vividness to her face.
19 of 30
Kate Walsh
McDreamy's ex-wife rocks a deep russet, which is an incredibly accessible red for those trying to ramp up their chestnut locks.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024
The slim, soft shoes are made from velvety suede, have lightweight and breathable linings, offer enough tread for wintery excursions, and come in two classic colors: chestnut brown and black.
—Rachel Simon, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2023
Eligible coffee drinks from the holiday menu include the caramel brulée latte, chestnut praline latte, gingerbread latte, oleato gingerbread oat milk latte, peppermint mocha and sugar cookie almond milk latte.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Featuring soft lining and a foam footbed, the Tasman slippers come in colors like chestnut, black, gray, and more.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024
Scrub Hub:What is being done in Indiana to bring back American chestnut trees?
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
Choose between three versatile hues, including classic black, chestnut brown, and light sand, all three of which are available in women’s and men’s sizing.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2024
Most notably, the home’s library was made from chestnut wood that is hundreds of years old.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chestnut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chestnut
Cite this Entry
“Chestnut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chestnut. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chestnut
1 of 2 noun
chest·nut
ˈches-(ˌ)nət
1
a
: a sweet edible nut from any of several trees or shrubs related to the beeches
b
: a tree or shrub bearing chestnuts
especially
: an American tree that was formerly common and grew to large size in eastern forests but has been largely wiped out by the chestnut blight and now grows only to the size of a shrub or sapling
c
: the wood of a chestnut tree
2
3
: a brown or reddish brown horse
chestnut
2 of 2 adjective
: of a reddish brown color
Medical Definition
chestnut
noun
chest·nut
ˈches-(ˌ)nət
1
a
: a tree or shrub of the genus Castanea (C. dentata) that is found in eastern North America and the leaf of which was formerly used to prepare an infusion for the treatment of whooping cough
b
: the edible nut of a chestnut
2
: a callosity on the inner side of the leg of the horse
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