gut

[ guht ]

/ gʌt /

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noun

the alimentary canal, especially between the pylorus and the anus, or some portion of it.Compare foregut, midgut, hindgut.

guts,

bowels or entrails.
Informal. courage and fortitude; nerve; determination; stamina: Climbing that cliff takes a lot of guts.
the inner working parts of a machine or device: The mechanic had the guts of the refrigerator laid out on the kitchen floor.

the belly; stomach; abdomen.

the substance forming the case of the intestine; intestinal tissue or fiber: sheep's gut.

a preparation of the intestines of an animal, used for various purposes, as for violin strings, tennis rackets, or fishing lines.

the silken substance taken from a silkworm killed when about to spin its cocoon, used in making snells for fishhooks.

a narrow passage, as a channel of water or a defile between hills.

Slang.Also gut course . snap course.

verb (used with object), gut·ted, gut·ting.

to take out the guts or entrails of; disembowel.

to destroy the interior of: Fire gutted the building.

to plunder (a house, city, etc.) of contents: Invaders gutted the village.

to remove the vital or essential parts from: The prisoner's letters were gutted by heavy censorship.

adjective

Informal.

basic or essential: to discuss the gut issues.
based on instincts or emotions: a gut reaction; gut decisions.

OTHER WORDS FOR gut

2b pluck.

See synonyms for gut on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about gut

spill one's guts, Slang. to tell all; lay oneself bare; confess everything: The celebrity chef spills his guts in his autobiography.

Origin of gut

First recorded before 1000; Middle English gut, guttes (plural), Old English guttas (plural), akin to gēotan “to pour”

OTHER WORDS FROM gut

gut·like, adjectiveun·gut·ted, adjective

Words nearby gut

Gustavus V, Gustavus VI, gusto, Guston, gusty, gut, gutbucket, gut check, gut course, Gutenberg, Gutenberg Bible

Other definitions for gut (2 of 2)

GUT

Physics.

grand unification theory.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gut in a sentence

I needed a gut check on my own grim musings, so I called Pedro Noguera, dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.
The Learning Curve: The Dystopian Future of ‘Learning Pods’|Will Huntsberry|July 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Even humans contain at least as many bacterial cells as “self” cells, the microbes in our gut inextricably linked with our development, physiology and survival.
What Is an Individual? Biology Seeks Clues in Information Theory.|Jordana Cepelewicz|July 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
As the heart, lungs, gut and other organs transmit information to the brain, they affect how we perceive and interact with our environment in surprisingly profound ways.
How Your Heart Influences What You Perceive and Fear|Jordana Cepelewicz|July 6, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The gut diversity of people in the United States is almost half that of the most isolated Amerindians living in South America, she says.
Scientists want to build a Noah’s Ark for the human microbiome|Carolyn Beans|June 11, 2020|Science News

It takes guts to attempt running across the surface of a pool of liquid goop, even if it is oobleck.
Physicists foil classic oobleck science trick|Emily Conover|June 9, 2020|Science News For Students
Since coffee can irritate the gut, she suggests opting for herbal tea instead.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many|DailyBurn|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Koenig has not been a sterile, objective narrator; she has openly voiced her biases, concerns, and gut feelings all along.
Adnan Killed Her! No, Jay Did It! Serial’s Uncertain, True-to-Reality End|Emily Shire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other methane is exhaled by microscopic organisms directly, as in the human gut.
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas?|Matthew R. Francis|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now the gut was fueled not by Romanée-Conti and Château d'Yquem but by brandy--and a hell of a lot of it.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And while all he says he has spoken to still believe the interrogations saved lives, he said the report was a punch in the gut.
CIA Interrogation Chief: ‘Rectal Feeding,’ Broken Limbs Are News to Me|Kimberly Dozier|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As we turned the crest of the hill and began the descent into the wooded gut, my companion looked back and waved his hand.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Never strike a fish hard with the fly, either on gut or hair, if the latter, a breakage is almost sure to follow a violent jerk.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
What are termed water knots are the best for tying your gut or hair together, the tighter they are drawn the faster they become.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
Take a length of fine round silk worm gut, half a yard of silk well waxed, (wax if possible of the same colour,) take a No.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
It was with a shriek of agony that he had leaped across the gut, and he had reached home thereafter in a fever-fit of fear.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for gut (1 of 2)

gut

/ (ɡʌt) /

noun

the lower part of the alimentary canal; intestine
the entire alimentary canalRelated adjective: visceral

(often plural) the bowels or entrails, esp of an animal

slang the belly; paunch

See catgut

a silky fibrous substance extracted from silkworms, used in the manufacture of fishing tackle

a narrow channel or passage

(plural) informal courage, willpower, or daring; forcefulness

(plural) informal the essential partthe guts of a problem

bust a gut informal to make an intense effort

have someone's guts for garters informal to be extremely angry with someone

hate a person's guts informal to dislike a person very strongly

sweat one's guts out or work one's guts out informal to work very hard

verb guts, gutting or gutted (tr)

to remove the entrails from (fish, etc)

(esp of fire) to destroy the inside of (a building)

to plunder; despoilthe raiders gutted the city

to take out the central points of (an article), esp in summary form

adjective

informal arising from or characterized by what is basic, essential, or naturala gut problem; a gut reaction

Derived forms of gut

gutlike, adjective

Word Origin for gut

Old English gutt; related to gēotan to flow; see fusion

British Dictionary definitions for gut (2 of 2)

GUT

/ (ɡʌt) /

n acronym for

grand unified theory

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

Scientific definitions for gut (1 of 2)

gut

[ gŭt ]

The intestine of a vertebrate animal.

The alimentary canal of an invertebrate animal.

The tube in a vertebrate embryo that later develops into the alimentary canal, lungs, and liver.

Scientific definitions for gut (2 of 2)

GUT

Abbreviation of grand unified theory See unified field theory.

Other Idioms and Phrases with gut

gut

In addition to the idiom beginning with gut

gut it out

also see:

bust a gut
hate someone's guts
have the guts