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
If wheat is infected during flowering, the fungus colonizes, killing the florets, and kernels don’t develop.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
The poisonous kernels are responsible for a significant number of suicides and homicides, particularly in rural areas of South Asia.
—Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2025
But exaggeration must start with a kernel of truth.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
As with many of Trump’s ideas, there is more than a kernel of truth in his claims.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kernel
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Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
The poisonous kernels are responsible for a significant number of suicides and homicides, particularly in rural areas of South Asia.
—Nina Foster, JSTOR Daily, 30 May 2025
But exaggeration must start with a kernel of truth.
—Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
As with many of Trump’s ideas, there is more than a kernel of truth in his claims.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kernel
Cite this Entry
“Kernel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kernel. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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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