gut
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.
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.
Informal.
basic or essential: to discuss the gut issues.
based on instincts or emotions: a gut reaction; gut decisions.
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
1Other words for gut
Other words from gut
- gut·like, adjective
- un·gut·ted, adjective
Other definitions for GUT (2 of 2)
grand unification theory.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gut in a sentence
Soft, jelly-like eggs survived a trip through a bird’s gizzard, which grinds food, and its gut.
Here’s the summer science you might have missed | Janet Raloff | September 1, 2020 | Science News For StudentsShe first supported us way back last winter when it took some guts to do so.
Cher raises $2 million for Biden at LGBTQ virtual fundraiser | Chris Johnson | August 31, 2020 | Washington BladeThat translates to a $240 billion gut-punch to states and cities.
COVID-19 has another long-term side effect: A shrinking tax base | cleaf2013 | August 31, 2020 | FortuneSteroid hormones like testosterone can boost confidence during times of stress, and they’re part of a system of “gut feelings” needed for speedy decisions.
For fish eggs, getting gobbled up by a duck means a harrowing journey through the bird’s gut.
Pooping ducks can shed the live eggs of fish | Carolyn Wilke | July 17, 2020 | Science News For Students
Neither Smith nor Marx can carry us far into the guts of globalized financial capitalism.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years | Jedediah Purdy | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey were being carried out and the stench of their rotting flesh and bloated guts made it hard to examine them closely.
Soon enough, I felt my own guts rebelling and stepped out into the crystalline Andean night.
In the end, it was not Leonard who had the guts to press and release—it was Evelyn Aron.
The Stacks: How Leonard Chess Helped Make Muddy Waters | Alex Belth | August 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe loves Marilyn Monroe because she “had the guts of a lion.”
The Stacks: Mr. Bad Taste and Trouble Himself: Robert Mitchum | Robert Ward | July 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe been trying to get a younger saw-bones for a long time, but nobody had the guts to tell him he was fired, I guess.
He said: "None of the rest of them had the guts even to bring me the message, eh?"
Riders of the Silences | John FrederickThe saying went in Goldbanks that he "had the guts" and could whip his weight in wildcats.
The Highgrader | William MacLeod RaineThe rich, metallic guts of a planet exposed for easy mining.
The Planet Strappers | Raymond Zinke GallunFatigue tied tiny knots high in their guts so that their stomachs hung like stones.
The Jewels of Aptor | Samuel R. Delany
British Dictionary definitions for gut (1 of 2)
/ (ɡʌt) /
the lower part of the alimentary canal; intestine
the entire alimentary canal: Related 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 part: the 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
to remove the entrails from (fish, etc)
(esp of fire) to destroy the inside of (a building)
to plunder; despoil: the raiders gutted the city
to take out the central points of (an article), esp in summary form
informal arising from or characterized by what is basic, essential, or natural: a gut problem; a gut reaction
Origin of gut
1Derived forms of gut
- gutlike, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for GUT (2 of 2)
/ (ɡʌt) /
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)
[ 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)
Abbreviation of grand unified theory See unified field theory.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with gut
In addition to the idiom beginning with gut
- gut it out
also see:
- bust a gut
- hate someone's guts
- have the guts
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse