run the gamut

Cultural  

1. To cover a whole range: “The students' reactions to the novel ran the gamut from delight to loathing.”

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run the gamut Idioms  

1. Extend over an entire range, as in His music runs the gamut from rock to classical. This expression alludes to the medieval musical scale of Guido d'Arezzo, gamut being a contraction of gamma and ut, the lowest and highest notes respectively. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run the gamut

Then you move to “for ease” luxuries that will run the gamut from ordering delivery on busy nights to hiring a cleaning service and beyond.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

The foods are extreme and run the gamut, from silkworm pupa to a whole goat head.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

They run the gamut from high-level careers in AI strategy to hourly work, in industries including finance, healthcare and manufacturing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

"Basically you're deciding: 'Well look, I'm going to just run the gamut here and hope that these things don't go on fire.'"

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025

By the time Will had run the gamut of these adventures, some of which caused him to shiver, while others brought a smile on his face, he heard the voices of his chums drawing near.

From The Outdoor Chums on the Gulf by Quincy Allen