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
Well, Verizon has a FAQ here that explains the steps a Verizon customer needs to take to access Disney+ for free, but here’s the gist: Go to My Verizon site or the My Verizon App.
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Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 8 July 2024
That was the gist of the message DiVincenzo delivered in front of his locker after a mid-court altercation with Indiana’s starting center in the Knicks’ 30-point shellacking of the Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 15 May 2024
This may explain why the publication of Mann's sequel has made much less of a splash than did 1491; the gist of the argument and much of the evidence are so familiar.
—Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2012
Yet the gist of Joel’s 135-minute concert connected to the feeling of performances given in bars everywhere by pianists who always take the same requests and still manage to smile: comfort, reminiscence and sing-a-long melodies that slosh around in your head.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the gist 
Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 8 July 2024
That was the gist of the message DiVincenzo delivered in front of his locker after a mid-court altercation with Indiana’s starting center in the Knicks’ 30-point shellacking of the Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 15 May 2024
This may explain why the publication of Mann's sequel has made much less of a splash than did 1491; the gist of the argument and much of the evidence are so familiar.
—Jeremy Adelman, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2012
Yet the gist of Joel’s 135-minute concert connected to the feeling of performances given in bars everywhere by pianists who always take the same requests and still manage to smile: comfort, reminiscence and sing-a-long melodies that slosh around in your head.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the gist
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the gist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“The gist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20gist. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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