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

• mouthful
• bite
• taste
• nibble

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

The mousse itself was made chocolate from Chiapas and hid a nugget of more chiles underneath. —Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025

Let potato nuggets stand on baking pan for 10 minutes. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2025

The tiny restaurant serves big, inexpensive breakfast burritos and coffee (including a protein coffee option) until noon, plus chips and dips, burgers, fries and adult-ish chicken nuggets with jalapeno ranch. —Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Customers can choose between a hamburger or four and six-piece chicken nugget meals. —Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 27 June 2025

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