peanut

American  

[pee-nuht, -nuht] / ˈpiˌnʌt, -nət /

noun

peanuts plural

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.

3. any small or insignificant person or thing.

4. peanuts,

   1. Informal. a very small amount of money.

      working for peanuts.

   2. Slang. barbiturates.

   3. small pieces of Styrofoam used as a packing material.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the peanut or peanuts.

2. made with or from peanuts.

3. Informal. small, insignificant, or petty.

peanut British  

/ ˈpiːˌnʌt /

noun

1. See also peanuts

   1. 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

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• peanutty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• peanuts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of peanut

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

Explanation

A peanut is a plant that grows pods containing seeds that are also known as peanuts. You may think of peanuts as nuts, but they're actually legumes. Despite the deceptive name peanut, this plant is more closely related to peas than it is to almonds and hazelnuts. Peanuts are an important food crop around the world, in the form of oil, flour, peanut butter, and roasted, whole peanuts. Peanuts were originally called "ground nuts," and despite their popularity, they're also known for being inexpensive — thus peanuts also informally means "a very small amount of money."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peanut peanuts

Trujillo placated the dog with peanut butter and they clambered over a wall into the Franco backyard, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Katie, a businesswoman from Cardiff, and husband Neil Jennings, 49, applied for Yann to attend a medical trial in London for peanut allergy in toddlers when he was three.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

The owner of Jif peanut butter and Folgers coffee on Tuesday projected net sales to decline 3% to 4% in its fiscal 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

It will not change your weight on a bathroom scale or alter how manufacturers measure ingredients like peanut butter for a 16-ounce jar.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

Ralph was halfway to the peanut butter when he felt Ryan’s egg-sandwich smelling hand close around his body.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Put this all together and farmers — mainly large-scale row-crop producers of corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, rice and peanuts — are already set to receive roughly $55 billion from the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Serve your Dino Kung Pao over a bed of warm jasmine rice and top with roasted peanuts and chopped green onions.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

When Raspados Nayarit serves its tuba compuesta — vibrant pink, chilled and topped with diced apples and peanuts — it is a reminder of home for Colimenses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

As a baby, Yann had severe eczema and at six months, blood tests showed he was allergic to milk, peanuts and eggs.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

Everything that I’ve traded for thus far will be peanuts compared to what my next transactions will bring.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• groundnut