1
: the inner softer part of a seed, fruit stone, or nut
… as brown in hue as hazelnuts, and sweeter than the kernels.—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare2
: a whole seed of a cereal
a kernel of corn
3
: a central or essential part : germ
Like many stereotypes … this one too contains some kernels of truth.—S. M. Lyman
S. M. Lyman4
chiefly dialectal
: a fruit seed
5
mathematics
: a subset of the elements of one set (such as a group) that a function (such as a homomorphism) maps onto an identity element of another set
Examples of kernel in a Sentence
There's not a kernel of truth in what they say.
the kernel of your argument seems to be the inevitability of human migration into space
Recent Examples on the Web
In his work, the unfathomable is what most powerfully involves us—some private kernel of feeling that resists interpretation, and always remains out of reach.
—Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
Both privilege escalation vulnerabilities stem from bugs in the kernel’s handling of page caches stored in memory, allowing untrusted users to modify them.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Here’s what leading security experts have to say about the Dirty Frag Linux kernel vulnerability.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
This kernel of truth may account for why the prosopopoeia of the wine mom absorbs so much misogynist loathing from all over the political map.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for kernel
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Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
Both privilege escalation vulnerabilities stem from bugs in the kernel’s handling of page caches stored in memory, allowing untrusted users to modify them.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Here’s what leading security experts have to say about the Dirty Frag Linux kernel vulnerability.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
This kernel of truth may account for why the prosopopoeia of the wine mom absorbs so much misogynist loathing from all over the political map.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for kernel
Cite this Entry
“Kernel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kernel. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kernel
noun
ker·nel
ˈkərn-ᵊl 
1
a
: the inner softer part of a seed, fruit stone, or nut
b
: a whole grain or seed of a cereal (as wheat or corn)
2
: a central or basic part
a kernel of truth in what they say
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