chestnut

noun

chest·nut | \ ˈches(t)-(ˌ)nət

Definition of chestnut

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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 : horse chestnut

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

6a : an old joke or story

b : something (such as a musical piece or a saying) repeated to the point of staleness

chestnut

adjective

Definition of chestnut (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of the color chestnut

2 : of, relating to, or resembling a chestnut

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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: Noun

Rosario guided his chestnut colt through an opening next to the rail. — Steve Almasy, CNN, "Sir Winston wins Belmont Stakes to give trainer second Triple Crown race win this season," 8 June 2019 The treehouse is made from chestnut, with hazel, stag horn oak and larch nest cladding. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Kate Middleton’s Back to Nature Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show Pays Tribute to Princess Diana," 23 May 2019 The treehouse is made from chestnut, with hazel, stag horn oak and larch nest cladding. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Shares "Heartbreaking" Parenting Struggle at the Chelsea Flower Show," 19 May 2019 The chestnut once grew from Maine to Mississippi, an area of more than 200 million acres. — Charles C. Mann, WSJ, "Let’s Farm Chestnuts Again," 9 May 2019 For more corporate environments stick to something neutral, maybe a chestnut brown or caramel nude color, or for a more relaxed environment take the plunge into cherry red or baby blue. — Vogue, "5 Office-Ready Style Hacks You’ll Need This Summer," 7 May 2019 When it was sent down the runway as part of Wickstead’s autumn/winter 2019 collection, it was paired with a chestnut-brown belt and white mary-jane style kitten heels. — Teen Vogue, "Gigi Hadid Wears Powder Blue Jumpsuit and Matching Cape at Variety's Power of Women Event," 6 Apr. 2019 Justify may have more early speed than all of them so, barring some kind of a disastrous break, the massive chestnut is going to be in a four-horse field or possibly even less by the first turn. — Dick Jerardi, Philly.com, "Why the Kentucky Derby odds favor Justify," 4 May 2018 Before tucking into the slow-roasted turkey with apple-chestnut stuffing and mashed sweet potatoes with brown butter, swing for pumpkin risotto with pancetta; and later, for the dolce, an olive oil and dried fruit cake with crème fraîche gelato. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "Where to Dine Out for a Traditional-ish Thanksgiving Meal in New York City," 14 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chestnut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near chestnut

chestnut-backed chickadee

chestnut bean

chestnut blight

Statistics for chestnut

Last Updated

12 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for chestnut

The first known use of chestnut was in 1519

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More Definitions for chestnut

chestnut

noun

English Language Learners Definition of chestnut

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a type of tree that produces large, sweet nuts that can be eaten

: the nut of a chestnut tree

: the wood of a chestnut tree

chestnut

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of chestnut (Entry 2 of 2)

: of a reddish-brown color

See the full definition for chestnut in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chestnut

noun

chest·nut | \ ˈches-ˌnət

Kids Definition of chestnut

1 : a sweet edible nut that grows in burs on a tree related to the beech

2 : a reddish brown

chestnut

noun

chest·nut | \ ˈches-(ˌ)nət

Medical Definition of chestnut

1a : 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