nugget
noun
a lump of something, as of precious metal.
nugget
American
[nuhg-it]
/ ˈnʌg ɪt /
noun
-
nuggets
plural
-
a lump of something, as of precious metal.
-
a lump of native gold.
-
anything of great value, significance, or the like.
nuggets of wisdom.
-
a bite-size piece of chicken, fish, etc., usually batter-fried.
-
Welding. (in a spot-weld) the metal fused.
-
Australian.
-
a powerful, heavy animal.
-
a strong, thickset man.
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Nugget
1
British
/ ˈnʌɡɪt /
noun
verb
nugget
2
British
/ ˈnʌɡɪt /
noun
-
a small piece or lump, esp of gold in its natural state
-
something small but valuable or excellent
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of nugget
1850–55; perhaps diminutive of obsolete nug small piece, variant of nog 2; see -et
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:
That includes a camera-equipped oven that tells home chefs when their cookies are done, and the first refrigerator to make chewable nugget ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
There has been an early pattern in these early days: an early morning nugget of news dropping from No10.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“That,” the Chicago Cubs’ star said, “is a cool nugget I’ll always keep with me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
It’s complete with a mashed potato “volcano” that’s oozing with gravy lava, along with dino nugget inhabitants and steamed broccoli for trees.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
In his mind, at least, there is no real link between a nugget and a chicken except the name.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Fertitta’s business is behind the Golden Nugget casino chain, the restaurant giant Landry’s and other hospitality and gaming monikers as well as the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
"Mountaineer Matt" has never lost hope of discovering "The Big Nugget" -- the one that will make him rich.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025
A local pub, The Nugget, has also come forward with an offer to help and will hold a family fun day on 29 June.
From BBC ● May 18, 2025
Known as the Mojave Nugget, the 156-ounce behemoth was found there with a metal detector in 1977 and now sits on display at the Natural History Museum of L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024
I knew I needed to wait a bit before I shared Ida B’s Golden and Supremely Important Nugget of Wisdom.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
"Next year it'll be banning something else relatively small...until we're all just eating, you know, chicken nuggets, and we'll have no culinary heritage whatsoever."
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Hiding vegetables is a technique we tend to leave behind somewhere around the age of dino nuggets and mashed-potato volcanoes.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Sorry, but you’re going to have to wait a full year to watch 3:30 a.m. tennis in NYC while eating caviar chicken nuggets and drinking $23 cocktails that taste like unicorn tears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Servings of processed meats such as ham, sausages and chicken nuggets have been reduced to once a week and must come with a side of vegetables or fruit.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
I used to like the foods that come in abstract shapes: chicken nuggets, Fruit Roll-Ups, hot dogs.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
