peanut

[ pee-nuht, -nuht ]
See synonyms for: peanutpeanuts on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the pod or the enclosed edible seed of the plant, Arachis hypogaea, of the legume family: the pod is forced underground in growing, where it ripens.

  2. the plant itself.

  1. any small or insignificant person or thing.

  2. peanuts,

    • Informal. a very small amount of money: working for peanuts.

    • Slang. barbiturates.

    • small pieces of Styrofoam used as a packing material.

adjective
  1. of or relating to the peanut or peanuts.

  2. made with or from peanuts.

  1. Informal. small, insignificant, or petty.

Origin of peanut

1
An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; pea1 + nut

Other words from peanut

  • pea·nut·ty, adjective

Words Nearby peanut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use peanut in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for peanut

peanut

/ (ˈpiːˌnʌt) /


noun
  1. : See also peanuts

    • a leguminous plant, Arachis hypogaea, of tropical America: widely cultivated for its edible seeds. The seed pods are forced underground where they ripen: See also hog peanut

    • Also called: goober, goober pea, (Brit) groundnut, (Brit) monkey nut the edible nutlike seed of this plant, used for food and as a source of oil

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