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
Synonyms
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
Harvesting too early on immature beds also affects the maturation of the rice kernels over time, officials said.
—Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2024
With unified signals from both the program and the underlying infrastructure, the SRE can track error rates by kernel version to ensure the roll-out doesn’t impact end applications.
—Tom Wilkie, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
For this purpose, a kernel density estimation was applied to the study blocks, the results of which are consistent with the densities recorded in other Mayan archeological sites such as Oxpemul and Becan.
—Anna Lagos, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
Cut kernels from cobs, keeping ribs of kernels intact as much as possible to yield about 2 cups.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kernel 
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Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2024
With unified signals from both the program and the underlying infrastructure, the SRE can track error rates by kernel version to ensure the roll-out doesn’t impact end applications.
—Tom Wilkie, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
For this purpose, a kernel density estimation was applied to the study blocks, the results of which are consistent with the densities recorded in other Mayan archeological sites such as Oxpemul and Becan.
—Anna Lagos, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
Cut kernels from cobs, keeping ribs of kernels intact as much as possible to yield about 2 cups.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kernel
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Dictionary Entries Near kernel
Cite this Entry
“Kernel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kernel. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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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