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• guilt trip
  guilt trip

  noun

  a feeling of guilt or responsibility, especially one not justified by reality.
• guilt-trip
  guilt-trip

  verb (used with object)

  to attempt to instill a guilt trip in; play upon the guilt feelings of.

guilt trip

¹ American  

noun

1. Informal. a feeling of guilt or responsibility, especially one not justified by reality.

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guilt-trip ² American  

[gilt-trip] / ˈgɪltˌtrɪp /

verb (used with object)

guilt-tripped, guilt-tripping

1. Informal. to attempt to instill a guilt trip in; play upon the guilt feelings of.

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Etymology

Origin of guilt-trip

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guilt trip guilt-trip guilt-tripped guilt-tripping

"She always used to guilt trip us about it."

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2024

She even defies her father when he tries and fails to guilt trip her into not going to Sarah Lawrence.

From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2024

But following the children in these fictions, who didn’t create the conditions of their suffering, isn’t just a devastating guilt trip.

From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

He sits beside her on a couch and, laying a final, manipulative guilt trip on her, tells her that all he ever really wanted was for her to love him.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2022

I wondered if their moms knew how to guilt trip them like a boss too.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

It’s the exact opposite of what you truly want, but your husband has allowed his brother and sister-in-law to coerce and/or guilt-trip your husband into an unwelcome financial arrangement.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 21, 2026

They guilt-trip her into the chore and then proceed to engage in activities guaranteed to make them late.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

I’m writing about her, not to guilt-trip those who enjoyed their backyard barbecue last week, but because she inspired such admiration from her peers.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2023

We had one terrible fight after my mother attempted to guilt-trip me into keeping our plans, crying about how much they miss the grandkids.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 23, 2023

If I was lucky, I could guilt-trip some scholarships out of a school or two, the way my parents had done with Hillpark.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Cal Macleod is a 22-year-old island native who graduated from a textile-engineering school in Edinburgh—his gifts on the loom earned him a scholarship—and has been guilt-tripped by his father, John, into returning home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

You are, in their household, considered a “soft touch” — someone who is easily guilt-tripped and/or coerced into parting with your money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025

Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was worried the law would risk ill people feeling "guilt-tripped" into ending their own lives.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024

You’re guilt-tripped into doing it, knowing that the employee you dealt with is being evaluated on the basis of your answers.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2024

“I even guilt-tripped your sister into handing over a dress, Lynn. She brought three.”

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Marx asks toward the end, pressing creators and consumers alike to sidestep poptimism’s guilt-tripping and operate outside the boundaries of the algorithm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025

This isn’t about guilt-tripping anyone out of a well-deserved day off.

From Salon ● May 26, 2025

If you also have a reluctant man in your life, Alukal suggested being persuasive without guilt-tripping or shaming.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2023

Then give them a quick, calm, “I’m sorry to hear you feel that way,” and don’t engage in anything from them that qualifies as judging, meddling, guilt-tripping or hypocrisy.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 14, 2022

For a moment, I feel ashamed for guilt-tripping them.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed