nugget

noun

nug·​get ˈnə-gət 

1

: a solid lump

especially : a native lump of precious metal

2

: tidbit sense 2

nuggets of wisdom

3

: a small usually rounded piece of food

chicken nuggets

Synonyms

• bite
• morsel
• mouthful
• nibble
• taste
• tidbit
• titbit

Examples of nugget in a Sentence

nuggets of beef in the chow mein

a seemingly inconsequential nugget of information that proved to be the key to cracking the case

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to the Chicken Shack, other chicken menu items available at Shake Shack include a Korean Style Fried Chicken Sandwich, an Avocado Bacon Chicken sandwich, and Chicken Bites, which is the company's take on chicken nuggets. —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

The nugget is around the size of a UK 50 pence coin. —Emily Blumenthal, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024

Gold was absorbed, as expected, but other metals present were absorbed in very small quantities, which allowed the researchers to extract a gold nugget with a high level of purity. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2024

Fresh starts and reinvention have been a lure since the first gold seekers — the ones digging actual nuggets — flocked here from the more straitened and class-conscious East Coast. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024

The children's dinner ($7) is chicken nuggets with french fries, applesauce, milk, and ranch or BBQ sauce. —Journal Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2024

And each one has its little nuggets of fun that come with it. —Morgan Korn, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2024

Kindergarten is a bit early to be fed that existential nugget. —Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

The gold nugget is open for bidding through a Mullock Jones online auction that runs through April 1. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

nugget

noun

nug·​get ˈnəg-ət 

: a solid lump especially of precious metal