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gumption

[ guhmp-shuhn ]
/ ˈgʌmp ʃən /
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See synonyms for: gumption / gumptious on Thesaurus.com

noun Informal.
initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness: With his gumption he'll make a success of himself.
courage; spunk; guts: It takes gumption to quit a high-paying job.
Chiefly British Dialect. common sense; shrewdness.
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Origin of gumption

1710–20; originally Scots

OTHER WORDS FROM gumption

gump·tion·less, adjectivegumptious, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gumption in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gumption

gumption
/ (ˈɡʌmpʃən) /

noun informal
British common sense or resourcefulness
initiative or courageyou haven't the gumption to try

Word Origin for gumption

C18: originally Scottish, of unknown origin
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
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