gumption

[ guhmp-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: gumptiongumptious on Thesaurus.com

nounInformal.
  1. initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness: With his gumption he'll make a success of himself.

  2. courage; spunk; guts: It takes gumption to quit a high-paying job.

  1. Chiefly British Dialect. common sense; shrewdness.

Origin of gumption

1
1710–20; originally Scots

Other words from gumption

  • gump·tion·less, adjective
  • gumptious, adjective

Words Nearby gumption

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How to use gumption in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gumption

gumption

/ (ˈɡʌmpʃən) /


nouninformal
  1. British common sense or resourcefulness

  2. initiative or courage: you haven't the gumption to try

Origin of gumption

1
C18: originally Scottish, of unknown origin

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