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gut check

British

noun

a pause to assess the state, progress, or condition of something such as an enterprise or institution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Major U.S. importers are facing off against the world’s largest ocean carriers in an early gut check for trade in 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

They can supply a helpful gut check on what the general public thinks about a future event and may reflect the wisdom of crowds.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

“October has brought a spooky gut check after an unusually calm stretch,” said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist at Truist.

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

“My gut check is, this is bad,” said Todd Sorensen, a professor in the economics department at UC Riverside.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2025

Yes, it is a gut check, a test of how much Kevin Whitworth wants to play this game.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023