gut

[guht]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gut ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

guts,

the 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. a gut 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.

Idioms

spill one's guts, Slang. to tell all; lay oneself bare: the famous star spills his guts in his autobiography.

Origin of gut

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

Related formsgut·like, adjectiveun·gut·ted, adjective

Synonyms for gut

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gut ON THESAURUS.COM

2b. pluck.

GUT

Physics.

grand unification theory.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gut

innards, belly, ravage, decimate, ransack, eviscerate, loot, empty, interior, intimate, natural, basic, paunch, entrails, tummy, viscera, bowels, intestines, venter, duodenum

Examples from the Web for gut

Contemporary Examples of gut

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
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
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
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
But only once did a work of art really punch me in the gut—and it was as unsalable as they come.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art
Jay Michaelson
December 6, 2014

Historical Examples of gut

Skin two or three eels, or some flounders; gut and wash them very clean, cut them into small pieces, and put them into a saucepan.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
Take out the meat as whole as possible, split the tail, and remove the gut; and if the inside be not watery, it may be added.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
These gut windows have their convenience as well as their inconvenience.
Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled
Hudson Stuck
And the brightest sign yet for our future is the increasing demand for hooks and gut.
Crocker's Hole
R. D. Blackmore
He covered a probang with the skin of a small eel, or the gut of a lamb or cat.
Zoonomia, Vol. II
Erasmus Darwin

British Dictionary definitions for gut

gut

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 Formsgutlike, adjective

Word Origin for gut

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

GUT

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

Word Origin and History for gut

Old English guttas (plural) "bowels, entrails," related to geotan "to pour," from PIE *gheu- "pour" (see found (v.2)). Related to Middle Dutch gote, Dutch goot, German Gosse "gutter, drain," Middle English gote "channel, stream." Meaning "abdomen, belly" is from c.1400. Meaning "easy college course" is student slang from 1916, probably from obsolete slang sense of "feast" (the connecting notion is "something that one can eat up"). Sense of "inside contents of anything" (usually plural) is from 1570s. To hate (someone's) guts is first attested 1918. The notion of the intestines as a seat of emotions is ancient (cf. bowel) and probably explains expressions such as gut reaction (1963), gut feeling (by 1970), and cf. guts. Gut check attested by 1976.