gauntlet

¹ American  

[gawnt-lit, gahnt-] / ˈgɔnt lɪt, ˈgɑnt- /

noun

1. a medieval glove, as of mail or plate, worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand.

2. a glove with an extended cuff for the wrist.

3. the cuff itself.

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idioms

1. take up the gauntlet / glove,

   1. to accept a challenge to fight.

      He was always willing to take up the gauntlet for a good cause.

   2. to show one's defiance.

2. throw down the gauntlet / glove,

   1. to challenge.

   2. to defy.

gauntlet ² American  

[gawnt-lit, gahnt-] / ˈgɔnt lɪt, ˈgɑnt- /

noun

1. a former punishment, chiefly military, in which the offender was made to run between two rows of men who struck at him with switches or weapons as he passed.

2. the two rows of men administering this punishment.

3. an attack from two or all sides.

4. trying conditions; an ordeal.

5. gantlet.

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verb (used with object)

1. gantlet.

idioms

1. run the gauntlet, to suffer severe criticism or tribulation.

gauntlet ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɔːntlɪt /

noun

1. a punishment in which the victim is forced to run between two rows of men who strike at him as he passes: formerly a military punishment

2. 1. to suffer this punishment

   2. to endure an onslaught or ordeal, as of criticism

3. a testing ordeal; trial

4. a variant spelling of gantlet 1

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gauntlet ² British  

/ ˈɡɔːntlɪt /

noun

1. a medieval armoured leather glove

2. a heavy glove with a long cuff

3. to accept a challenge

4. to offer a challenge

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gauntlet More Idioms  

1. see run the gauntlet; throw down the gauntlet.

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Other Word Forms

• gauntleted
  adjective
• ungauntleted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gauntlet¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English gauntelet, gauntlet, from Old French gantelet, diminutive of gant “glove,” from Germanic want- (unrecorded); compare Old Norse vǫttr

Origin of gauntlet²

First recorded in 1670–80; alteration of gantlope

Explanation

A gauntlet is a glove covered in steel that was worn in suits of armor, but it also means punishment or, when "throwing down the gauntlet," a challenge. Gauntlet comes from the Old French word for "glove," which was thrown down as a symbol of a challenge. “Running the gauntlet” is an old military form of punishment in which the victim runs between two rows of men wearing armored gloves, who beat him as he passes through the lines. Today, if someone makes you run the gauntlet, they won’t really strike you with armored gloves, but they'll probably make you do something miserable.

Example Sentences

New Jersey attorney general Jennifer Davenport called the process a "gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices".

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Even a ship that got through the Navy’s gauntlet in the Gulf would know it isn’t safe.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Yet even as she threw down the gauntlet, Jackson sounded pessimistic about a course correction.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2026

That throws the gauntlet down to AST SpaceMobile, which has long suggested that its own satellites—which are much larger but fewer in number than the thousands of Starlink craft—will offer superior performance.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Fiat taxis run the gauntlet, honking promiscuously above Arabic monologs droning from speakers.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro