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run the gamut

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


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]


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.

See Examples For:

Price targets run the gamut, and not all of them imply extreme upside potential.

From MarketWatch Jul. 7, 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

These couples' reasons run the gamut from high child-rearing costs to career concerns.

From Barron's Jan. 5, 2026

For somehow since his jesting words of the previous Sabbath morning, he had allowed his fancy to run the gamut of many glittering possibilities.

From Checkers A Hard-luck Story by Blossom, Henry M.

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