nutshell

noun nut·shell \ ˈnət-ˌshel \

Definition of nutshell

1 :the hard external covering in which the kernel of a nut is enclosed

2 :something of small size, amount, or scope

— in a nutshell

:in a very brief statement

See nutshell defined for English-language learners

See nutshell defined for kids

Recent Examples of nutshell from the Web

In a nutshell, kids ages 3-5 were presented with a sad puppet and a sticker.

— ida lieszkovszky, cleveland.com, "Why I won't tell my son to share: Multitasking Moms and Dads," 27 Aug. 2017
A cynic might say that store captures this town in a nutshell: a shop transplanted from Williamsburg to Lawrenceville, the hippest neighborhood in Pittsburgh, selling vintage workwear to the techies who replaced the steelworkers.

— benjy hansen-bundy, GQ, "Pittsburgh: Where to Eat, Drink, and Stuff Your Face with Charcuterie," 24 Aug. 2017
In a nutshell, spot-targeting fat isn't very effective—in most cases.

— markham heid, Time, "You Asked: Can You Lose Weight Just from Your Stomach?," 16 Aug. 2017
In a nutshell, spot-targeting fat isn’t very effective—in most cases.

— markham heid, PEOPLE.com, "You Asked: Can You Lose Weight Just from Your Stomach?," 16 Aug. 2017
The nutshell synopsis: Somewhere out West around mid-century (neither the location nor the year are spelled out, but contextual clues are plentiful), a nun and a busload of orphans show up at the sprawling home of a skilled doll maker and his wife.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "'Annabelle: Creation' movie review: Haunted doll gets a creepy origins story," 9 Aug. 2017
Statistical significance in a very small nutshell Statistical significance is a concept underlying a huge amount of science—not just psychology or social sciences, but medicine, life sciences, and physical sciences, too.

— cathleen o'grady, Ars Technica, "There’s a debate raging in science about what should count as “significant”," 4 Aug. 2017
That, in a nutshell, was the spirit of the Trump enterprise.

— michael lewis, The Hive, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 2 Aug. 2017
That’s pretty simple, but that’s kind of it in a nutshell.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles notes: Britton rounding into form required to close; Showalter on Gausman's struggles," 15 July 2017

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

First Known Use of nutshell

13th century

NUTSHELL Defined for English Language Learners

nutshell

noun

Definition of nutshell for English Language Learners

: the hard outer shell of a nut

NUTSHELL Defined for Kids

nutshell

noun nut·shell \ ˈnət-ˌshel \

Definition of nutshell for Students

:the shell of a nut

— in a nutshell

:very briefly

And that, in a nutshell, is my explanation.

Learn More about nutshell

See words that rhyme with nutshell Spanish Central: Translation of nutshell Nglish: Translation of nutshell for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nutshell for Arabic speakers

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