gamut

American  

[gam-uht] / ˈgæm ət /

noun

• gamuts
  plural

1. the entire scale or range.

   the gamut of dramatic emotion from grief to joy.

   Synonyms:

   extent, reach, scope, breadth, sweep

2. Music.

   1. the whole series of recognized musical notes.

   2. the major scale.

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gamut British  

/ ˈgæmət /

noun

1. entire range or scale, as of emotions

2. music

   1. a scale, esp (in medieval theory) one starting on the G on the bottom line of the bass staff

   2. the whole range of notes

3. physics the range of chromaticities that can be obtained by mixing three colours

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gamuts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of gamut

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin; contraction of gamma ut, equivalent to gamma, used to represent the first or lowest tone (G) in the medieval scale + ut (later do ); the notes of the scale ( ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si ) being named from a Latin hymn to St. John the Baptist: Ut queant laxis re sonare fibris. Mi ra gestorum fa muli tuorum, Sol ve polluti la bii reatum, S ancte I ohannes

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Explanation

A visit with a long-lost cousin might arouse emotions that run the gamut of from joy to nostalgia to sorrow. A gamut is a full or complete range. In the 16th century, the gamut was the lowest note on the musical scale. In music as well as life, the word has expanded to mean from high to low, or the whole range. The word is often associated with "run," as in "run the gamut from totally excited to so terrified you're quaking with fear." And if you've talked about every discussion point on your agenda, you've covered the gamut of issues that need discussing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gamut gamuts

The rest of the menu runs the seafood gamut, from grilled whole branzino to New England seafood sauté, along with a smaller selection of steaks.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Price targets run the gamut, and not all of them imply extreme upside potential.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

"To present Bond, we need to offer his entire gamut of abilities," explains Martin Emborg, IO Interactive's narrative director.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me” “Sarah Pidgeon made the most of a star-making role as Carolyn Bessette in ‘Love Story,’ and Sarah Snook ran the emotional gamut as ‘All Her Fault’s’ distraught mom.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Persian Casual covers a wide gamut, from slightly more-formal-than-business-casual to just-shy-of-black-tie-or-full-military-dress.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

These gamuts are important if your work requires them, though if that’s the case, I’m guessing you know that.

From The Verge ● Jan. 17, 2022

He called them gamuts and likened them to a collection stones or shells he might pick up on the beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2020

It’s as though a leaf blower has blown all the gamuts pirouetting into the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2020

Wide color gamuts let you see shades of colors that exist in real life but that earlier TVs couldn’t display.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2018

And with what marvellous vibration he gamuts the passions, festooning them with carnations and great white tube roses, but the dark dramatic motive is never lost in the decorative wiles of this magician.

From Chopin : the Man and His Music by James Huneker

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