nugget
Americannoun
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a lump of something, as of precious metal.
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a lump of native gold.
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anything of great value, significance, or the like.
nuggets of wisdom.
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a bite-size piece of chicken, fish, etc., usually batter-fried.
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Welding. (in a spot-weld) the metal fused.
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Australian.
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a powerful, heavy animal.
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a strong, thickset man.
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noun
verb
noun
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a small piece or lump, esp of gold in its natural state
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something small but valuable or excellent
Other Word Forms
- nuggety adjective
Etymology
Origin of nugget
1850–55; perhaps diminutive of obsolete nug small piece, variant of nog 2; -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.
It’s notable that Vance saved this nugget about demons for Johnson, who works with TPUSA, which bills itself as a youth outreach organization.
From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026
Beguiled by photos of teensy piglets, she chose the runt of the litter—a tiny, shivering nugget for $350.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
A video has gone viral of a four-year-old boy who was left in tears after his dad stole his last chicken nugget at a football match.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
Uber Eats has a year-in-review, too, and you absolutely don’t want your significant other to see what fast food you’ve ordered and whether you’re in the top 1% of nugget eaters.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2025
He can reveal the nugget of sorrow that happiness contains.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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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.