peanut

IPA/ˈpiːnʌt/
KK[pˈinət]IPA/ˈpiːnʌt/

peanut — noun

  • peanutsingular
  • peanutsplural

1. an edible seed that forms below the soil inside a light brown pod, often with an

1.nounB1
Definition

an edible seed that forms below the soil inside a light brown pod, often with another seed beside it

Example

Mia sprinkled crushed peanuts over the noodles before dinner.

collocation: crushed peanuts

A bag of roasted peanuts sat beside the cold drinks.

countable: a bag of peanuts

Common collocations
  • roasted peanuts
  • salted peanuts
  • crushed peanuts
  • peanut butter
  • peanut allergy
Synonyms
  • groundnut

    used in some regional varieties of English, but less neutral than peanut

  • nut

    a broader everyday word that can mean many different kinds of edible seeds

  • legume

    a technical classification word, not the usual food name

Grammar Patterns

eat peanuts

a bag of peanuts

crushed peanuts on noodles

Usage Note

Usually countable in everyday English. Peanut is the normal food word even though the plant belongs to the bean family, not the true nut family.

Common Mistakes

I ate three peanut.
I ate three peanuts.
Use the plural when you count individual seeds.

2. an amount, especially of money, that is so small people treat it as unimportant

2.nounC1
Definition

an amount, especially of money, that is so small people treat it as unimportant

Example

The cafe pays students peanuts for washing dishes after class.

pattern: pay peanuts

After rent and bills, Tom had peanuts left in his account.

Common collocations
  • for peanuts
  • pay peanuts
  • work for peanuts
  • sell something for peanuts
Synonyms
  • pittance

    a more formal word for a very small amount of money

  • next to nothing

    an informal phrase for an extremely small amount

  • small change

    often refers to coins or a small amount left over

Antonyms
  • fortune

    a very large amount of money

Grammar Patterns

for peanuts

pay peanuts

be peanuts compared with

Usage Note

Common after for and in pay peanuts. It is often used when someone feels a wage, price, or reward is unfairly low.

Common Mistakes

The bike is peanuts.
The bike is cheap.' or 'They sold the bike for peanuts.
Peanuts describes the amount or price, not the thing itself.

peanut — adjective

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For the food sense, peanut is the normal everyday word in general English. Groundnut is used in some regional varieties, especially in South Asian or African English, but it sounds less neutral in many international contexts. Nut is much broader and can mean almonds, walnuts, or many other hard edible seeds, so it is not exact enough when you specifically mean a peanut. Legume is the scientific group name that also includes beans and peas, and it is mainly used in biology or nutrition. In ordinary speech, say peanut butter, roasted peanuts, or a peanut allergy. At lunch, peanut butter sounds natural, while legume butter sounds wrong and groundnut butter sounds regional.

groundnut ↗nut ↗legume ↗

Etymology

English

Peanut is a compound created in English from pea and nut. The seed actually comes from a plant in the bean family, but speakers named it for its pea-like plant and its nut-like use as food. The word is transparent in modern English, so learners can still see the two older everyday words inside it.