# peanut

/ˈpiˌnət/ (US) · /pˈiːnʌt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/peanut
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. the food

noun · CEFR A1

a small, oval seed that grows in a shell underground and is eaten as a snack.

For teachers: the edible seed of a South American legume, typically roasted or salted for consumption.

- She bought a bag of salted peanuts to eat during the movie.
- The chef added crushed peanuts to the satay sauce to provide a crunchy texture and a rich, earthy flavour profile.

### 2. small amount of money

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a very small or tiny amount of money, especially when paid for work.

For teachers: a trivial or insignificant sum of money, often used in the plural to describe inadequate wages.

- He quit his job because they were paying him peanuts for ten hours of work.
- Despite the high level of technical skill required for the role, the startup was offering peanuts compared to the industry standard salary.

Usage: Almost always used in the plural form 'peanuts'.

### 3. tie prank

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang · British English

to pull someone's necktie so that the knot becomes very tight and difficult to undo.

For teachers: to pull the narrow end of a person's necktie as a prank, causing the knot to tighten excessively.

- The school bully tried to peanut my tie during the lunch break.
- The headmaster banned the practice after several students had to have their expensive silk ties cut off because they had been peanutted so tightly.

Usage: This is a transitive verb requiring a direct object.

## Examples

- I like to eat peanuts while watching a movie.
- Many schools have strict rules against bringing peanuts into the classroom because some children have severe allergies.
- While commonly categorized as a nut in culinary contexts, the peanut is botanically a legume, sharing more characteristics with beans and lentils than with walnuts or almonds.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.