gutter

noun gut·ter \ ˈgə-tər \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: gutter in a Sentence

Definition of gutter

1 a : a trough along the eaves to catch and carry off rainwater

b : a low area (as at the edge of a street) to carry off surface water (as to a sewer)

c : a trough or groove to catch and direct something

the gutters of a bowling alley

2 : a white space formed by the adjoining inside margins of two facing pages (as of a book)

3 : the lowest or most vulgar level or condition of human life

See gutter defined for English-language learners

See gutter defined for kids

Examples of gutter in a Sentence

one of his chores is to clean leaves and sticks out of the gutters before winter sets in
rainwater running off the road into the gutters

Recent Examples of gutter from the Web

According to the report, the truck got stuck on Burgundy Street near Ursulines Avenue A video from WWL shows the truck at an angle, with one of its tires stuck in a hole near the gutter.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Raccoon Congress," 13 June 2018
Chen Guowen, a 48-year-old resident, groused that Haikou’s government was more focused on efforts to spruce up the city’s appearance, instead of tackling clogged gutters.

— te-ping chen, WSJ, "A Chinese City Puts It to a Vote: How Should We Spend Our Money?," 1 June 2018
To this dad, the world is a bowling alley with too many gutters.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Supreme Court says you can't stop progress, or legalized betting," 14 May 2018
All my wildflowers have had to jump the sidewalk and grow in the tree lawn and the gutter.

— sally mccabe, Philly.com, "May 11-17: In the garden, it's time to…," 7 May 2018
Some have family members who are near but who don't make the time to share a meal once a week or check the gutters.

— contributing writer, NOLA.com, "Readers identify with woman's reluctance to downsize," 30 Apr. 2018
The work will also include curb and gutter replacement.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Road projects on tap for summer in several south, southwest suburbs," 26 May 2018
Existing curb-side trees will be removed and replaced with new trees, Mitchell said, and road resurfacing, pavement marking, and curb and gutter replacement will occur.

— jennifer johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Streetscape work to begin on Northwest Highway in Park Ridge," 21 May 2018
On the street below, water from his broken gutter splashes on a Palestinian construction foreman.

— chris ball, cleveland.com, "Diane Kruger stars in 'In the Fade,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gutter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gutter

Middle English goter, from Anglo-French gutere, goter, from gute drop, from Latin gutta

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gutter Synonyms

Synonyms

drainpipe, eaves trough, rainspout, spout, trough, waterspout;

Related Words

drain, flume, sluice;

conduit, duct;

aqueduct;

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

gutter

verb

Definition of gutter

guttered; guttering; gutters

transitive verb

1 : to cut or wear gutters in

2 : to provide with a gutter

intransitive verb

1 a : to flow in rivulets

b of a candle : to melt away through a channel out of the side of the cup hollowed out by the burning wick

2 : to incline downward in a draft

the candle flame guttering

Recent Examples of gutter from the Web

The cities can dictate whether or not it's curbed and guttered, concrete, setback limitations, the house size, the lot size and a number of other restrictions.

— david taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Commissioners yield to Dayton for stricter subdivision rules," 29 Mar. 2018
The flame of Indian paleontology may be guttering, but a few recent developments have buoyed spirits.

— sanjay kumar, Science | AAAS, "India’s paleontologists fight destruction of its fossil riches," 4 Apr. 2018
Is the spirit of man extinguished at death like a candle guttered by a passing wind?

— pioneer press editorial board, Twin Cities, "An Easter homily," 16 Apr. 2017
That sum would pay partially for street repaving, major bridge rehabilitation, and curb and gutter rehabilitation — all part of the Department of Public Works’ nearly $227 million bond request for deferred maintenance.

— jon murray, The Denver Post, "Backlog of repairs may weigh down Denver’s fall bond measures, pushing out new projects," 15 May 2017

First Known Use of gutter

14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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gutter

adjective

Definition of gutter

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the gutter; especially : marked by extreme vulgarity, cheapness, or indecency

gutter politics

See gutter defined for English-language learners

Examples of gutter in a Sentence

a novel that does a good job of rendering the gutter language of that stratum of society

First Known Use of gutter

15th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

GUTTER Defined for English Language Learners

gutter

noun

Definition of gutter for English Language Learners

: a long, hollow device that is attached to the edges of a roof to catch rain and carry it away from a building
: a low area at the side of a road that is used to catch water and carry it away from the road
: a long, narrow low section along the sides of a bowling lane

gutter

adjective

Definition of gutter for English Language Learners

: of the worst kind : offensive or immoral

GUTTER Defined for Kids

gutter

noun gut·ter \ ˈgə-tər \

Definition of gutter for Students

1 : a trough along the eaves of a house to catch and carry off water

2 : a low area (as at the side of a road) to carry off surface water

Medical Dictionary

gutter

noun gut·ter \ ˈgət-ər \

medical Definition of gutter

: a depressed furrow between body parts (as on the surface between a pair of adjacent ribs or in the dorsal wall of the body cavity on either side of the spinal column)