Nuts vs. Bolts — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on December 11, 2023
Nuts are threaded fasteners that secure onto bolts, while bolts are threaded pins or rods that pair with nuts to hold objects together. Both are essential in various assembly tasks.
Difference Between Nuts and Bolts
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Nuts and bolts are fundamental hardware items used in construction and assembly. Nuts are typically hexagonal or square metal pieces with a threaded hole. Bolts, on the other hand, are threaded rods or pins designed to fit into nuts to fasten materials together.
When examining nuts closely, their primary function is to grip onto the threading of bolts. This tight fit ensures that structures or objects are held securely. Bolts serve as the foundation for this grip, having external threads that match the internal threads of nuts.
In many construction or machinery tasks, nuts and bolts operate in tandem. Without nuts, bolts would not provide the needed security, as the nuts are what prevent the bolts from slipping out. Likewise, without bolts, nuts would have no application, as their primary function is to secure these threaded rods.
In common parlance, the phrase "nuts and bolts" can also mean the basic, practical details of a task or subject. For instance, when someone wants to understand the "nuts and bolts" of a project, they're seeking the foundational elements. While the phrase uses both terms, it speaks to their collective utility in providing structure.
While nuts and bolts have specific and distinct roles in the realm of hardware, they are nearly always used together. It's this collaboration between nuts and bolts that ensures the stability of many structures we encounter daily.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Function
Secure onto bolts
Pair with nuts to hold objects together
Physical Feature
Typically hexagonal or square with threaded hole
Threaded rods or pins
Dependency
Rely on bolts' threading for grip
Need nuts to prevent slipping out
Usage
Almost always used with bolts
Nearly always used with a corresponding nut
Metaphoric Meaning
Part of the phrase indicating foundational details
Part of the phrase indicating basic, practical details
Compare with Definitions
Nuts
Always function in tandem with bolts.
The nuts and bolts were sold in a set.
Bolts
Always accompanied by corresponding nuts.
Where are the nuts for these bolts?
Nuts
Hexagonal or square fasteners with threaded holes.
The kit includes several sizes of nuts.
Bolts
Fundamental in assembly and construction.
Without the right bolts, the structure isn't stable.
Nuts
Devices that grip onto bolt threads.
Make sure the nuts are tightly secured.
Bolts
Devices that pair with nuts for fastening.
The bolts need to be of the correct length.
Nuts
Essential components in assembly tasks.
We can't assemble this without the right nuts.
Bolts
A bar made of wood or metal that slides into a socket and is used to fasten doors and gates.
Nuts
Represent basic, practical details in idiomatic language.
She explained the nuts of the process.
Bolts
A metal bar or rod in the mechanism of a lock that is thrown or withdrawn by turning the key.
Nuts
Crazy or foolish.
Bolts
A fastener consisting of a threaded pin or rod with a head at one end, designed to be inserted through holes in assembled parts and secured by a mated nut that is tightened by applying torque.
Nuts
Extremely enthusiastic
I'm nuts about opera.
Bolts
A sliding metal bar that positions the cartridge in breechloading rifles, closes the breech, and ejects the spent cartridge.
Nuts
Used to express contempt, disappointment, or refusal.
Bolts
A similar device in any breech mechanism.
Nuts
Plural of nut
Bolts
A short, heavy arrow with a thick head, used especially with a crossbow.
Nuts
(poker) An unbeatable hand; the best poker hand available.
If the board is 237QA, all of spades, the nuts is 45 of spades.
If the board is 4444J, the nuts is any hand with an ace.
Bolts
A flash of lightning; a thunderbolt.
Nuts
(colloquial) Insane, mad.
After living on the island alone for five years, he eventually went nuts.
Bolts
A sudden or unexpected event
The announcement was a veritable bolt.
Nuts
Crazy, mad; unusually pleased or, alternatively, angered.
I just go nuts over her fantastic desserts.
The referee made a bad call against the home team and the crowd went nuts.
Bolts
A sudden movement toward or away.
Nuts
(colloquial) Very fond of (on) someone.
He's been nuts on her since the day they met.
Bolts
A large roll of cloth of a definite length, especially as it comes from the loom.
Nuts
Indicates annoyance, anger, or disappointment.
Nuts! They didn't even listen to what I had to say.
Bolts
To secure or lock with or as if with a bolt.
Nuts
Signifies rejection of a proposal or idea, as in no way, or nothing doing; often followed by to.}}
They want me to pay $5 for a banana? Nuts to that!
Bolts
To arrange or roll (lengths of cloth, for example) on or in a bolt.
Nuts
Crazy; loony; insane; batty; - used in a predicate position, ususually in phrases such as to go nuts, went nuts, are you nuts?
Bolts
To eat (food) hurriedly and with little chewing; gulp.
Nuts
An expression of disapproval, defiance, or displeasure, as in: "Ah, nuts! My knife just broke."
Bolts
To desert or withdraw support from (a political party).
Nuts
Informal or slang terms for mentally irregular;
It used to drive my husband balmy
Bolts
To utter impulsively; blurt.
Bolts
(Archaic) To shoot or discharge (a missile, such as an arrow).
Bolts
To move or spring suddenly.
Bolts
To start suddenly and run away
The horse bolted at the sound of the shot. The frightened child bolted from the room.
Bolts
To break away from an affiliation, as from a political party.
Bolts
(Botany) To flower or produce seeds prematurely or develop a flowering stem from a rosette.
Bolts
To pass (flour, for example) through a sieve.
Bolts
Plural of bolt
Bolts
Threaded pins or rods used in construction.
He inserted the bolts into the holes.
Bolts
Represent basic details in an idiomatic expression.
He covered the bolts of the topic in his talk.
Common Curiosities
Do nuts always need bolts?
Yes, nuts rely on bolts' threading for grip.
What's the typical shape of nuts?
Hexagonal or square with a threaded hole.
How are bolts commonly described?
As threaded pins or rods.
If you're talking about foundational details, would you refer to nuts or bolts?
The phrase "nuts and bolts" collectively.
Can you use bolts without nuts?
Typically, no, as nuts prevent bolts from slipping out.
How does the phrase "nuts and bolts" apply outside of hardware?
It refers to the basic, practical details of a subject.
Do bolts always have a hexagonal or square shape?
No, that describes nuts. Bolts are threaded rods.
Which is external, the threading of nuts or bolts?
Bolts have external threads.
Which hardware is typically hexagonal or square?
Nuts.
Are nuts and bolts sold separately?
They can be, but are often sold together in sets.
What is the primary function of nuts?
To secure onto bolts.
What prevents a bolt from slipping out?
A nut.
Are nuts internal or externally threaded?
Internally threaded.
What ensures the stability of many everyday structures?
The collaboration between nuts and bolts.
In machinery tasks, which is more foundational, nuts or bolts?
Both are equally vital and work in tandem.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
