the gist

noun

: the general or basic meaning of something said or written : the main points

—usually + of

The gist of her argument was that the law was unfair.

I didn't read the whole article, but I got the gist of it.

Examples of the gist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So the gist of this story so far is that Ohtani’s close friend betrayed him. —Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024

Perhaps then there will be more enlightenment, but that’s the gist of where things stand with the Hornets’ big man. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024

Though state strategies vary greatly, the gist is this: Under federal tax rules, the SALT ceiling applies to individual taxpayers, but not businesses structured as pass-through entities — say, a construction company, or a small law firm — according to tax professionals. —Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024

That’s the gist of the business lobby’s lawsuit over the California laws. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024

While the gist of the reports was typical of past years, the court's report included 20 pages of charts, graphs and illustrations apparently designed to convey its message of being tough on crime with greater clarity. —Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024

For background, here is the gist of the football changes: The new model starts with seven base divisions determined by enrollment. —Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024

Or at least that’s the gist of a recent report by Alludo. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 15 Jan. 2024

That’s the gist of a new report commissioned by the Pentagon in 2021 and released quietly with little notice in December. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 1 Jan. 2024