noun

• 1The oval seed of a South American plant, widely roasted and salted and eaten as a snack.

  ‘a bag of dry-roasted peanuts’

  More example sentences

  • ‘In western countries they are most familiar as roasted or salted peanuts, or in peanut butter or incorporated in confectionery.’
  • ‘Rich in essential fatty acids and protein, it also contains organic dry roasted Valencia peanuts and sea salt.’
  • ‘How she loved to crunch them; dry roasted peanuts, macadamias, cashews, pistachios, walnuts and Brazils.’
  • ‘Sauces may contain okra, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, eggplant, peppers, and other vegetables.’
  • ‘They are also found in nuts like peanuts, walnuts, cashews as well as in seeds and fish.’
  • ‘Garnish the plate with the almond tofu and crushed honey roasted peanuts.’
  • ‘There were almonds, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts.’
  • ‘Children pace up and down the platform selling roasted peanuts, fried snacks, and baskets of sweet bananas.’
  • ‘Birds that are fed diets with large proportions of sunflower seeds, peanuts and walnuts are often prone to obesity.’
  • ‘Drizzle with sesame oil, and scatter with shredded ginger, spring onions, salted peanuts and coriander.’
  • ‘The most common foods people are allergic to include: peanuts; walnuts; pecans or almonds; and wheat and gluten.’
  • ‘That's just 22 almonds, three tablespoons of cashews, 28 peanuts, 47 pistachios, or 14 walnut halves.’
  • ‘Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts cause most reactions.’
  • ‘To look after them properly, as instructed by the experts, I have to feed them hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and unsalted peanuts.’
  • ‘This resulted in an oversupply of peanuts, soybeans, pecans, and sweet potatoes.’
  • ‘Good food sources include broccoli, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and spinach.’
  • ‘All these foods had peanuts or peanut oil hidden inside.’
  • ‘You can add peanuts or any other nuts if you like.’
  • ‘The fresh peanuts are boiled in salt water and eaten warm.’
  • ‘Sprinkle with dry-roasted peanuts to add protein and fiber.’

  1. 1.1US A small person (often used as a term of endearment).
     ‘‘Here you go, peanut,’ Adam handed them to his daughter.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘‘Oh, peanut, I'm so sorry,’ he told her, kissing her forehead.’
     • ‘He finally looked up at me and smiled, ‘Hey peanut.’’

• 2The plant of the pea family that bears the peanut, which develops in pods that ripen underground. It is widely cultivated, especially in the southern US, and large quantities are used to make oil or animal feed.

  Arachis hypogaea, family Leguminosae

  ‘Yucca, plantain, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and sugarcane are grown, as well as medicinal herbs.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘He encouraged farmers to try new crops, like peanuts, cowpeas and sweet potatoes, and to try new rotations, better cultural practices and more appropriate machinery.’
  • ‘They grow several staple crops, including manioc root, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, peanuts, and plantains.’
  • ‘In an intensely managed, year-round vegetable garden, plant peanuts after winter greens such as turnips or kale.’
  • ‘The fields I had once planted with potato and peanuts now were home to groves of cherry trees a foot in diameter.’

• 3peanutsinformal A paltry thing or amount, especially a very small amount of money.

  More example sentences

  • ‘he pays peanuts’

  Synonyms

  very small sum, pittance, trifle, trifling sum, drop in the ocean, insignificant sum, derisory sum, paltry sum

  1. 3.1US A small person (often used as a term of endearment).

• 4peanutsSmall pieces of Styrofoam used for packing material.