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Synonyms

nutshell

American  
[nuht-shel] / ˈnʌtˌʃɛl /

noun

  1. the shell of a nut.

idioms

  1. in a nutshell, in very brief form; in a few words.

    Just tell me the story in a nutshell.
nutshell British  
/ ˈnʌtˌʃɛl /

noun

  1. the shell around the kernel of a nut

  2. in essence; briefly

"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
nutshell More Idioms  

  1. see in a nutshell.

Etymology

Origin of nutshell

1175–1225; Middle English nutescell; nut, shell

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.

“In a nutshell, we think risks in private credit are significant,” the analysts wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Dimon, in a nutshell, told him to stop lying on TV, according to people familiar with the conversation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

In a nutshell, buy the big software ETF before earnings.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

To sum up their misfortune in a nutshell, Bradley was taken off at half-time after a knock for Isak.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

In a nutshell, the problem with labelling anything ‘Romantic’ is that it has subsequently come to mean virtually anything, from the poetry of Lord Byron to the songs of Taylor Swift.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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.