nutcracker
Americannoun
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nutcrackers
plural
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an instrument or device for cracking the shells of nuts.
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any of several corvine birds of the genus Nucifraga that feed on nuts, as the common nutcracker, N. caryocatactes, of Europe and Clark's nutcracker, N. columbiana, of the western U.S.
noun
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(often plural) a device for cracking the shells of nuts
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either of two birds, Nucifraga caryocatactes of the Old World or N. columbianus ( Clark's nutcracker ) of North America, having speckled plumage and feeding on nuts, seeds, etc: family Corvidae (crows)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nutcracker
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Paranthropus has long been labeled the "nutcracker" genus, a nickname inspired by its massive jaws, thick tooth enamel, and oversized molars.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2026
“The Nutcracker” is a two-act ballet that follows a girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
Even the famed nutcracker museum sat largely empty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 score follows the story of a young girl who falls into a fantastical dream after being gifted a nutcracker doll.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
A nutcracker in the shape of a foreign soldier.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
Let’s say I’m a Trump-Biden voter with a love of nutcrackers and $250 to spend.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2023
Other birds that flock to burned forests include white-headed woodpeckers, Lewis's woodpeckers, three-toed woodpeckers, olivesided flycatchers, Clark's nutcrackers and mountain bluebirds.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2022
In the forest, nutcrackers fluttered by, their wings seemingly dipped in ink pots.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 10, 2022
Though the exact details vary depending on who you ask, it’s mostly agreed upon that nutcrackers were created uptown in the 1990s.
From New York Times ● May 28, 2022
When you sat around with people, regular people with teacups and nutcrackers, they just wanted to get to know you.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
