1
2
guts plural
: the inner essential parts
the guts of a car
3
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
Quentin FottrellMy gut says this is, overall, a terrible idea.—Erica Buist
—often used before another nounErica Buistmaking 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
Tom Nides5
: 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
1
: arising from one's inmost self : visceral
a gut reaction
2
: having strong impact or immediate relevance
gut issues
gutted; gutting
1
a
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
grand unified theory; grand unification theory
Synonyms
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 WebSarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
For You Fiber can help enhance your gut health and overall well-being, but increasing your fiber intake too quickly will lead to discomfort in your digestive system.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2024
These complex ecosystems exist on your skin, inside your mouth and in your gut.
—Joseph Orkin, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2024
How, then, did the fungi nestled in the gut cause such drastic changes in the immune system located elsewhere—all the way down to the stem cells?
—Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
The thinking that pickles have gut health benefits stems from the fact that pickles themselves are fermented, Sharp says.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Those calorie numbers are half servings of these hot gut bombs of dough, cheese, marinara and meat (or veggies).
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024
Doing that on live television—without a script—takes remarkable talent, not to mention guts, grit, hard work, and heart.
—Kelly Ripa, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Some of these products contain a type of fiber called prebiotics and are thus advertised as good for gut health.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 15 Apr. 2024
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
E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
But the most significant recent attempt to gut the filibuster against legislation fell short in January 2022.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
This yellowish, nutrient-rich fluid is packed with antibodies, growth factors, and nutrients newborns need for everything ranging from immune health to gut health.
—Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 13 Feb. 2024
The Miami Marlins on so many occasions last season found ways to gut out wins late in games.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
According to the Iditarod's statement on March 6, Seavey was penalized for failing to properly gut the moose after its death.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024
In the end, gut GLP-1 could still be important—just not for appetite regulation.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024
Race rules state that if a big game animal like a moose, caribou or buffalo is killed in defense of life or property, the musher must gut the animal and report it to race officials at the next checkpoint.
—CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024
The city enacted several new laws and regulations that essentially gut the annual event after last year's chaos, when two people were fatally shot, several were injured in stampedes, and police made 488 arrests (including 230 felony arrests) and seized 105 firearms.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
Antibiotics can also disrupt the balance of a person’s gut microbiome.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
For You Fiber can help enhance your gut health and overall well-being, but increasing your fiber intake too quickly will lead to discomfort in your digestive system.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2024
These complex ecosystems exist on your skin, inside your mouth and in your gut.
—Joseph Orkin, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2024
How, then, did the fungi nestled in the gut cause such drastic changes in the immune system located elsewhere—all the way down to the stem cells?
—Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
The thinking that pickles have gut health benefits stems from the fact that pickles themselves are fermented, Sharp says.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Those calorie numbers are half servings of these hot gut bombs of dough, cheese, marinara and meat (or veggies).
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 19 Apr. 2024
Doing that on live television—without a script—takes remarkable talent, not to mention guts, grit, hard work, and heart.
—Kelly Ripa, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Some of these products contain a type of fiber called prebiotics and are thus advertised as good for gut health.
—Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 15 Apr. 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
The state’s Third Congressional District, parts of which had voted for Trump by a wide margin, was then represented by Tom MacArthur, a two-term Republican best known for a proposal to gut the Affordable Care Act.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
But the most significant recent attempt to gut the filibuster against legislation fell short in January 2022.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
This yellowish, nutrient-rich fluid is packed with antibodies, growth factors, and nutrients newborns need for everything ranging from immune health to gut health.
—Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 13 Feb. 2024
The Miami Marlins on so many occasions last season found ways to gut out wins late in games.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
According to the Iditarod's statement on March 6, Seavey was penalized for failing to properly gut the moose after its death.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024
In the end, gut GLP-1 could still be important—just not for appetite regulation.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024
Race rules state that if a big game animal like a moose, caribou or buffalo is killed in defense of life or property, the musher must gut the animal and report it to race officials at the next checkpoint.
—CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024
The city enacted several new laws and regulations that essentially gut the annual event after last year's chaos, when two people were fatally shot, several were injured in stampedes, and police made 488 arrests (including 230 felony arrests) and seized 105 firearms.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 4 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near gut
Cite this Entry
“Gut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gut. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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 noun1
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
W. E. Leary
b
: abdomen sense 1a, belly
—usually used in plural —not often in formal use
his huge gut hung far below his belt—L. M. Uris
L. M. Uris2
: catgut
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