nutshell
Americannoun
idioms
noun
-
the shell around the kernel of a nut
-
in essence; briefly
Etymology
Origin of nutshell
Explanation
The hard, protective covering of a nut is called a nutshell. If you hear someone say "in a nutshell," they are most likely summing something up in a few words. It's more common to refer to a nutshell as simply a shell. Most people use the word nutshell figuratively. When you say, "in a nutshell," you mean "to sum it up," or "to condense a large amount of information into one short sentence." For example you might say, "In a nutshell, The Odyssey is the story of a guy who went on a long boat trip."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“In a nutshell, Claude is a major player in the AI Revolution and US Tech sector and this ‘supply chain designation risk’ needs to be resolved quickly for the tech sector and ongoing enterprise deployments/pilots.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
When asked if it was an epidemic the government was failing to cope with, he responded "in a nutshell, yes".
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
“In a nutshell we believe Microsoft is set to have a massive 2026 and the stock is a compelling buy at these levels,” the Wedbush team wrote.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
To sum up their misfortune in a nutshell, Bradley was taken off at half-time after a knock for Isak.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
Sometimes I think the sky is half of a big eggshell or a big nutshell.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
