¹peanut

noun pea·nut \ˈpē-(ˌ)nət\

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

peanuts : a very small amount of money

Full Definition of PEANUT

: 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

: an insignificant or tiny person

plural : a trifling amount

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

See peanut defined for English-language learners

See peanut defined for kids

First Known Use of PEANUT

1802

Rhymes with PEANUT

abut, all but, beechnut, blind gut, brush cut, buzz cut, catgut, chestnut, clean-cut, clear-cut, cobnut, cockshut, crew cut, crosscut, doughnut, foregut, groundnut, haircut, jump cut, kick butt, locknut, Meerut, midgut, offcut, pignut, pine nut, putt-putt, rebut, recut, rotgut, rough cut, sackbut, shortcut, somewhat, tut-tut, uncut, walnut, wing nut, woodcut

²peanut

adjective

Definition of PEANUT

: insignificant, petty <peanut politics>

First Known Use of PEANUT

1836

Related to PEANUT

Synonyms: chicken, de minimis, footling, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, measly, Mickey Mouse, minute, niggling, no-account, nominal, paltry, negligible, petty, picayune, piddling, piddly, piffling, pimping, slight, trifling, trivial

Antonyms: big, consequential, considerable, important, material, significant

PEANUT Defined for Kids

peanut

noun pea·nut \ˈpē-ˌnət\

Definition of PEANUT for Kids

: 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)