gumption
Americannoun
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initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness.
With his gumption he'll make a success of himself.
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courage; spunk; guts.
It takes gumption to quit a high-paying job.
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Chiefly British Dialect. common sense; shrewdness.
noun
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common sense or resourcefulness
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initiative or courage
you haven't the gumption to try
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gumption
1710–20; originally Scots
Explanation
If you have gumption, you have guts. People with gumption are determined and full of courage — and common sense, too. If you easily give up, and don't have a lot of confidence or smarts, then you are lacking in gumption. It takes gumption to get things done — especially difficult things. Someone who takes risks without being afraid has gumption. Having gumption is like having "chutzpah." We all could probably use more gumption. Like common sense, it isn't that common.
Vocabulary lists containing gumption
Beowulf
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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The Glass Castle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Emma should know better than to put her faith in her employers’ ability to recognize her intelligence and gumption.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
“If you have an idea, and the gumption enough to go for it, you can probably find an audience for it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
How Chelsea would love a centre-back with that kind of gumption, especially given the shaky defending they have shown at times.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
That takes creativity, intelligence and gumption, and I’m sure your grandfather has those in spades.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
I couldn’t believe the cap’n had the gumption to set there looking like he didn’t have no idea what the man was trying to say.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
