peanut

noun

pea·nut | \ ˈpē-(ˌ)nət

Definition of peanut

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a low-branching widely cultivated annual herb (Arachis hypogaea) of the legume family with showy yellow flowers having a peduncle which elongates and bends into the soil where the ovary ripens into a pod containing one to three oily edible seeds also : its seed or seed-containing pod

2 : an insignificant or tiny person

3 peanuts plural : a trifling amount

4 : a pellet usually made of polystyrene foam that is used especially as packing material

peanut

adjective

Definition of peanut (Entry 2 of 2)

: insignificant, petty peanut politics

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Examples of peanut in a Sentence

Noun

Five billion dollars is peanuts compared to what the government spends each year. He works all day for peanuts.

Adjective

this is a peanut matter, and we're fools for wasting time on it

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The Triple Play Blizzard mixes soft-serve ice cream with caramel-coated peanuts, caramel popcorn brittle and chocolate chunks. — Jennifer Mcclellan, azcentral, "Dairy Queen to sell baseball Blizzards on Opening Day in 15 lucky cities, and Phoenix is one of them," 28 Mar. 2018 Then, cut a small hole in one side of a soda can, run the wire through it, and smear peanut butter on the can. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "How to Get Rid of Mice: The Ultimate Guide to a Rodent-Free Home," 28 Mar. 2019 Serving: Transfer to a plate and garnish with the peanuts, chile powder, and lime wedge. — Debbi Snook, cleveland.com, "Lunar New Year: Pad Thai (recipe)," 14 Feb. 2018 Like howling, licking up peanut butter, and comfy chairs for snuggling in. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Pete Buttigieg and Chasten Glezman's Dogs Have More Social Media Game Than I Do," 28 Mar. 2019 Mix in ingredients like peanut butter and seeds for a flavor boost. — Joy Bauer, Ms, Woman's Day, "Nutrition Expert Joy Bauer's Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget," 23 Jan. 2019 The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is one that must have been made in heaven. — Woman's Day, "This New Reese's Cup Is A Peanut Butter Lover's Dream Come True," 25 Mar. 2019 Vegetable oil is great; peanut butter is said to work, and some people swear by mayonnaise. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "How to Remove Sticker Residue from Any Surface," 28 Nov. 2018 The foods not allowed on this plan include legumes (peanuts, beans, lentils, tofu), grains, dairy, refined sugar, salt, artificial sweeteners, anything processed, and alcohol. — Amy Capetta, Good Housekeeping, "Paleo Versus Keto: Which Is the Better Diet for You?," 10 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Early estimates of losses to the peanut crop range from $10 million to $20 million. — Jeff Martin, The Seattle Times, "Farmers fear it will take years to recover from storm strike," 30 Oct. 2018 Cotton, pecan and peanut crops were lost in Georgia, and one million power customers were offline Thursday in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia, according to reports from local utilities. — Jon Kamp And Arian Campo-flores, WSJ, "Michael Blasts Deadly Path Across Several Southern States," 11 Oct. 2018 In The Bitter Southerner, James Beard-award winning writer Shane Mitchell offers a history of and paean to this most versatile and nutritional of ground nuts and to the region where it’s grown, correcting a few peanut myths along the way. — Michelle Weber, Longreads, "Goodness, How Delicious, Eating Goober Peas," 2 May 2018 Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and remaining sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Asian Noodles and Meatballs," 16 Aug. 2018 This may help explain why peanut allergies are more common in Western countries, where the nuts are often roasted (part of the process of making peanut butter), than in Asian nations where raw or boiled peanuts are more common. — Amber Dance, Washington Post, "Peanut allergy is one of the most severe food allergies. New therapies might help.," 12 May 2018 The double dose of peanuts in the form of whole nuts and peanut butter means these bars are really filling, even in small portions. — Becky Krystal, charlotteobserver, "These five-ingredient, 10-minute peanut bars will be your new afternoon pick-me-up | Charlotte Observer," 3 Apr. 2018 The military has long disqualified recruits for a broad range of medical conditions that could impact performance, including bad knees, heel spurs, diabetes and even peanut allergies. — New York Times, "Sergeant Sues Defense Dept. Over ‘Outdated’ H.I.V. Policies," 31 May 2018 Nails and eyes aren’t quite peanut butter and jelly. — Korin Miller, SELF, "6 Simple Ways to Take Better Care of Your Eyes," 1 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peanut.' 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 peanut

Statistics for peanut

Last Updated

13 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for peanut

The first known use of peanut was in 1802

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More Definitions for peanut

peanut

noun

English Language Learners Definition of peanut

: a nut with a thin shell that grows under the ground and that can be eaten

informal : a very small amount of money

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

peanut

noun

pea·nut | \ ˈpē-ˌnət

Kids Definition of peanut

: a nutlike edible seed related to the pea that comes from the tough underground pods of a widely grown plant and that are eaten whole or crushed to form a spread ( peanut butter ) or produce oil for cooking ( peanut oil )