as in cliches
an idea or expression that has been used by many people
an op-ed piece that's offers nothing but warmed-over chestnuts for solving the city's financial woes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chestnuts
Istanbul pulses with history—its skyline crowned with slender minarets, grand domes, and bustling bazaars filled with copperware, carpets, and the scent of roasted chestnuts.
—
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Woody and green aromas, followed by a taste that differs—mocha and figs and some roasted chestnuts.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
So UConn’s postseason chestnuts were once more extricated from the fire, the freshman performing to keep things alive.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2025
Street vendors hawked goods displayed on blankets spread on the sidewalk and sold steaming hot chestnuts from carts.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Christmas Eve may be a good time to roast chestnuts on the fire (or maybe toast marshmallows), but Parker Solar Probe scientists have built their spacecraft to avoid getting burned by the sun.
—Tariq Malik, Space.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Miami doesn't roast chestnuts for Christmas.
—Martin Vassolo, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
But chestnuts didn’t disappear.
—Martin Sorge, Chicago Tribune, 16 Dec. 2024
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Woody and green aromas, followed by a taste that differs—mocha and figs and some roasted chestnuts.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
So UConn’s postseason chestnuts were once more extricated from the fire, the freshman performing to keep things alive.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2025
Street vendors hawked goods displayed on blankets spread on the sidewalk and sold steaming hot chestnuts from carts.
—New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Christmas Eve may be a good time to roast chestnuts on the fire (or maybe toast marshmallows), but Parker Solar Probe scientists have built their spacecraft to avoid getting burned by the sun.
—Tariq Malik, Space.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Miami doesn't roast chestnuts for Christmas.
—Martin Vassolo, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
But chestnuts didn’t disappear.
—Martin Sorge, Chicago Tribune, 16 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chestnuts
Noun
-
New novels are rightly praised for breaking with traditional forms and criticized for turning to stale formulas and cliches.—
Nathaniel Moore
September 10,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Just really not going to sit here and give some cliches.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Incidents of such poisoning saw a sharp decline when the Food and Drug Administration phased out the use of bromides in pharmaceuticals between the mid 70s and late 1980s.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Those well-versed in cinematic tropes will know that these two are bound to spend time together outside of the dental office.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The problem is that Tipping — using lots of quick cuts, booming music cues, flashing X-rays of injuries and occult-style voodoo horror tropes — fails to run up any numbers on the scoreboard.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chestnuts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chestnuts. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share