as in swellings
a small rounded mass of swollen tissue
a nodule on the leaf indicated that a worm had laid eggs there
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Recent Examples of nodules
What patients experience—painful nodules, swelling, abscesses and drainage—is the visible endpoint of that internal cascade.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
There, red nodules formed and progressed to develop dark centers.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
Plants That Benefit From Being Planted With Beans With the help of bacteria that grow in nodules on their roots, bean plants and their relatives enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen from the air into a form usable by plants.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
Heads with nodules made from rubber, plastic or silicone are better at keeping limescale from forming quickly.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
China is leading a race to collect metal-rich nodules from the ocean floor, resources seen as key to clean energy.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Sinatra had been in a career slump and had also been suffering from a vocal cord hemorrhage and nodules.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Of particular interest are polymetallic nodules – agglomerations, typically smaller than a potato, containing manganese and other metals and found in the silt of the deep ocean floor.
—Coalter G Lathrop, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
The Metals Company has yet to study the impact on the approximately 20 to 30 percent of deep-sea life that depends on nodules.
—Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026
Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
There, red nodules formed and progressed to develop dark centers.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
Plants That Benefit From Being Planted With Beans With the help of bacteria that grow in nodules on their roots, bean plants and their relatives enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen from the air into a form usable by plants.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
Heads with nodules made from rubber, plastic or silicone are better at keeping limescale from forming quickly.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
China is leading a race to collect metal-rich nodules from the ocean floor, resources seen as key to clean energy.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Sinatra had been in a career slump and had also been suffering from a vocal cord hemorrhage and nodules.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Of particular interest are polymetallic nodules – agglomerations, typically smaller than a potato, containing manganese and other metals and found in the silt of the deep ocean floor.
—Coalter G Lathrop, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
The Metals Company has yet to study the impact on the approximately 20 to 30 percent of deep-sea life that depends on nodules.
—Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nodules
Noun
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Infection is rapid, causing swellings in the lymph nodes (buboes) and leading to septicaemia and pulmonary infection.—
Matthew Binnicker,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Adding the grits to the pot slowly while stirring is key to the dish's creaminess and no lumps.—
Emma Ashe,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
-
The Huskies, after winning the Big East championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years, took some losses in the transfer portal and took their lumps in the early season southern and western swings, losing 10 of their first 12 games.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her simulation showed that even if half the network got destroyed instantly, the remaining nodes reorganized themselves and got communications going again in under a second.—
Laura Isensee,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
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That means building up, with taller buildings in the urban core and in urban nodes like Doral, Downtown Dadeland or Coral Gables, instead of out, with low-density suburban development beyond the urban boundary at the western edge of the county, Martin said.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
While Saks Global went into bankruptcy in January with plenty of bumps, the ride is getting smoother.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
18 May 2026
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So, how to address razor bumps in the first place?—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Some sustained minor injuries, primarily cuts and bruises caused by broken windows.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
-
When bruises are noticed on their daughter’s body at school, their five children are taken away from them and a legal saga ensues.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Through this technology, doctors can visualize a highly detailed reconstruction of tumors and surrounding anatomical structures—including blood vessels, lymph nodes and nerves—before entering the operating room.—
Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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The clinical trial, led by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, tested the drug in 168 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer whose tumors had mutations in the RAS gene.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nodules.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nodules. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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