gist

American  

[jist] / dʒɪst /

noun

• gists
  plural

1. the main or essential part of a matter.

   What was the gist of his speech?

   Synonyms:

   import, kernel, burden, substance, point, essence

2. the ground of a legal action.

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gist British  

/ dʒɪst /

noun

1. the point or substance of an argument, speech, etc

2. law the essential point of an action

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of gist

First recorded in 1720–30; from Anglo-French (cest action) gist “(this matter) lies,” 3rd-person singular present of Anglo-French, Old French gesir “to lie” (compare modern French ci-gît “here lies”), ultimately from Latin jacēre; cf. adjacent ( def. ), hic jacet ( def. )

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Explanation

When you need a quick summary of the essentials, rather than the whole story or a thorough explanation, you're looking for the gist. The word gist has had a variety of meanings in English, but most of them have become obsolete. The surviving sense of the word entered the language by way of the law: The gist of any legal action is the factor on which the action depends — that is, an alleged assault might be the gist of an indictment. The meaning of gist has evolved, though, and now it can be used to describe the core component of any matter, as in, "He watched the trailer, but he still didn't get the gist of the movie." Or, "She was having trouble writing a headline that conveyed the gist of her article."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gist gists

He has no idea what aspartame is, technically speaking, but he gets the gist.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

His daughter dismissed the film they were watching early on, Allen explained, because she'd already got the gist of what was going to happen.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

The gist: Intel’s server central processing unit, or CPU, business for artificial-intelligence computing is making up for weakness in the PC chip market.

From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026

In a novel of many threads, this is the gist: The saved are those who aren’t ashamed of who they are or where they came from.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

Thank goodness I’m a journalist and not an accountant or a radiolo- gist.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

The researchers worked to answer four fundamental questions related to gists on social media:

From Science Daily ● May 13, 2024

“Only an Octave Apart” is a show of many, many gists.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 14, 2022

It said it was considering "gists and quotes of communications" between ex-prime minister Tony Blair and former US President George W. Bush.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2014

The inquiry has revealed that an agreement has been reached on what type of "gists and quotes" will be released from 25 notes and 130 records of conversations between Blair and Bush.

From The Guardian ● May 29, 2014

I was with Lucy while it took place, but certain gists of what was said and done have come to me, some from my mother, and some from Hilda.

From We Three by Henry Hutt

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Related Words

• summary
• tenor
• upshot

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