innards

American  

[in-erdz] / ˈɪn ərdz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. the internal parts of the body; entrails or viscera.

2. the internal mechanism, parts, structure, etc., of something; the interior of something.

   an engine's innards.

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innards British  

/ ˈɪnədz /

plural noun

1. the internal organs of the body, esp the viscera

2. the interior parts or components of anything, esp the working parts

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Etymology

Origin of innards

1815–25; variant of inwards ( def. ), noun use of inward

Explanation

Your innards are your stomach, intestines, and other abdominal organs. Catching a fish is fun, but gutting it, or removing its innards, is less fun. The slang term innards is sometimes used to mean "the parts of the digestive system," and other times refers more generally to any of the inside parts or organs of a human or animal body. Innards was coined in the 1800s, originally spelled innerds, from a dialect form of inwards, and meaning "the bowels."

Example Sentences

They are not showing signs off rapidly building inflationary pressures in the innards of the economy.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Covered in fractal patterns like “the symmetrical innards of a halved cabbage,” the giant humanoid insect reclines, “a god-sized man sleeping atop the quilt of the land.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Step closer and you hear the contraption appearing to breathe, a tinkling sound like wind chimes emanating from the cooling mechanism that keeps its innards colder than outer space.

From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025

Gurr began dissecting the figure’s innards, working primarily with parts from the airline industry.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2025

A quack doctor pitched patent medicines from the back of a wagon: “A rare cordial to fortify the innards against infective parasites, unwholesome damps, and malignant effluvia!”

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Related Words

• guts
• insides