nuts and bolts
Americannoun
plural noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nuts and bolts
First recorded in 1955–60
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.
On a nuts and bolts level, it’s all screwed together tight, even the pieces that stick out at weird angles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Warsh said little that was specific about how he will approach the nuts and bolts of Fed policy in brief remarks following the swearing in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Consider the personal-finance nuts and bolts involved in that kind of situation.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
All part of the nuts and bolts at a leading Premier League club in 2025.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
In the window there were trays of nuts and bolts, worn-out chisels, penknives with broken blades, tarnished watches that did not even pretend to be in going order, and other miscellaneous rubbish.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
