Synonyms

nuts and bolts

American

noun

the essential or basic aspects.

to learn the nuts and bolts of a new job.

nuts and bolts British

plural noun

informal the essential or practical details

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

nuts-and-bolts

adjective

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.

See Examples For:

nuts and bolts

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

Consider the personal-finance nuts and bolts involved in that kind of situation.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026

A nuts and bolts player, who has had a breakthrough.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

Also, that the nuts and bolts for the on-board camera are screwed tight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026

Somehow I’ve almost blocked from my mind that I’m an assemblage of nuts and bolts and carbon graphite.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023