gut

1 of 4

noun

1
a
: bowels, entrails
usually used in plural
fish guts
b
: digestive tract
also : part of the digestive tract and especially the intestine or stomach
c
d
: catgut
2
guts plural : the inner essential parts
the guts of a car
3
guts plural : fortitude and stamina in coping with what alarms, repels, or discourages : courage, pluck
had the guts to run for public office
4
: the basic visceral, emotional, or instinctual part of a person
She knew in her gut that he was lying.
Consult more than one financial adviser before making a final choice, and trust your gut.Quentin Fottrell
My gut says this is, overall, a terrible idea.Erica Buist
often used before another noun
making a gut decision
a gut feeling
"Tony's a very driven guy, and he makes a lot of decisions based on gut instinct," …Tom Nides
5
: a narrow passage
also : a narrow waterway or small creek
6
: the sac of silk taken from a silkworm ready to spin its cocoon and drawn out into a thread for use as a snell
7

gut

2 of 4

adjective

1
: arising from one's inmost self : visceral
a gut reaction
2
: having strong impact or immediate relevance
gut issues

gut

3 of 4

verb

gutted; gutting

transitive verb

1
b
: to extract all the essential passages or portions from
2
a
: to destroy the inside of
fire gutted the building
b
: to destroy the essential power or effectiveness of
inflation gutting the economy

GUT

4 of 4

abbreviation

grand unified theory; grand unification theory
Phrases
gut it out

Examples of gut in a Sentence

Noun the guts of the fish the guts of a machine the guts of a business deal That decision took a lot of guts. I didn't have the guts to do it. Verb The salmon is already gutted and filleted. Critics claim that these reforms will gut the law.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Fueled by guts and adrenaline, Hudson found a way to win a six-pitch duel with Jack Suwinski, throwing a nasty slider to strike out the Pirates slugger with the bases loaded on his 29th pitch of the inning to close out a 6-4 Dodgers victory. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Inside, there are more than 100 million neurons that allow the gut to work autonomously. Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 Drucker now thinks that GLP-1 in the gut is primarily responsible for controlling inflammation. Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024 Magnesium citrate helps constipation by increasing gut motility, creating a laxative effect. Britannay Scanniello, Verywell Health, 1 Mar. 2024 Better known as the Episode With That Thing That Happens to Kate, the season 2 finale delivered a surprise gut punch of an ending. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 The brand also offers a few more specialized options, including ones targeted towards boosting metabolism, revitalizing gut health, and meals designed to improve your mental and physical performance. Carina Finn, Bon Appétit, 27 Feb. 2024 Probiotics are living microorganisms that exist both naturally in the gut and are found in food products, dietary supplements and beauty products. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024 This includes the influence of sleep problems, gut microbiome disturbances, endocrine influences, and maternal metabolic disorders. Jennifer "jay" Palumbo, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Adjective
So Van Tyne and her team looked to a source that’s teeming with gut bacteria: wastewater. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024 Emerging evidence suggests that individuals with fibromyalgia may have alterations in their gut microbiota composition. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 27 June 2023 California California drought official quits, blasting Newsom for ‘gut wrenching’ inaction July 28, 2022 Adán Ortega Jr., chair of the MWD board, said Gomberg has been asked to speak to the agency’s staff about his report. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023 Some of this was simply a gut public-health reaction to the sudden spread of the virus. Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2020 Still, Hollywood fancies itself as a town that operates on gut instinct rather than algorithms, for better or for worse. Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2020 Priorities can then be set on a sounder basis than gut instinct, sentimental appeal or the political clout of the people hurt or helped. The Economist, 16 Nov. 2019 This career versatility is more gut instinct than game plan. Clover Hope, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2018 Prices are set by concert promoters or sports teams, based on a combination of gut instinct and past demand for similar events. Anne Steele, WSJ, 4 May 2018
Verb
Some were emboldened by the Supreme Court’s decision to gut affirmative action last June. Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The new realities make clear that some change is needed, but sponsors of the current effort have been careful not to completely gut Prop. 47. Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 In a game the NBA and the Lakers celebrated all the shots LeBron James made on his way to 40,000 points, the Nuggets continued to make every big shot necessary to gut the Lakers. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Just before the former president lost the 2020 election to President Biden, Trump issued an executive order designed to gut civil service job protections for workers across the government. Joe Davidson, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Related article Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions Other schools – including the rest of the Ivy League, along with the California State University System and the University of Michigan – have stuck with the decision to do away with the testing requirement. Brammhi Balarajan, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Ask the fishmonger to scale and gut the fish, and to remove the gills, which can impart a bitter flavor. Domenica Marchetti, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 There's no reason to think that the man who broke Sterling Sharpe's franchise record for receptions by a rookie won't gut it out again for a win-and-they're-in showcase on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024 Within that clade, most of these species are from the class Clostridia in the phylum Firmicutes, a phylum of bacteria important to gut health. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English, from Old English guttas, plural; probably akin to Old English gēotan to pour

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1964, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gut was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gut

Cite this Entry

“Gut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gut. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gut

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: entrails, viscera
usually used in plural
b
: the alimentary canal or part of it (as the intestine or stomach)
2
plural : the inner essential parts
3
plural : courage

gut

2 of 2 verb
gutted; gutting
1
: to remove the entrails from
scale and gut a fish
2
: to destroy the inside of
fire gutted the building

Medical Definition

gut

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: digestive tract
also : part of the digestive tract and especially the intestine or stomach
the mix of bacteria making up the flora of the gut W. E. Leary
b
: abdomen sense 1a, belly
usually used in plural
not often in formal use
his huge gut hung far below his beltL. M. Uris
2
: catgut

gut

2 of 2 transitive verb
gutted; gutting
: to take out the bowels of : eviscerate

More from Merriam-Webster on gut

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