gut check

British

noun

a pause to assess the state, progress, or condition of something such as an enterprise or institution

"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

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.

They can supply a helpful gut check as to what the general public thinks about a future event and may reflect the wisdom of crowds.

From MarketWatch

They can supply a helpful gut check on what the general public thinks about a future event and may reflect the wisdom of crowds.

From MarketWatch

The question weighing on gold investors: Is this just a bull market gut check, or the start of a bigger selloff?

From Barron's

“October has brought a spooky gut check after an unusually calm stretch,” said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist at Truist.

From Barron's

It felt, at the time, like a big-time gut check for the new Big Ten team on the block.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023