the alimentary canal, especially between the pylorus and the anus, or some portion of it.
guts,
bowels or entrails.
Informal. courage and fortitude; nerve; determination; stamina.
Climbing that cliff takes a lot of guts.
the inner working parts of a machine or device.
The mechanic had the guts of the refrigerator laid out on the kitchen floor.
the belly; stomach; abdomen.
the substance forming the case of the intestine; intestinal tissue or fiber.
sheep's gut.
a preparation of the intestines of an animal, used for various purposes, as for violin strings, tennis rackets, or fishing lines.
the silken substance taken from a silkworm killed when about to spin its cocoon, used in making snells for fishhooks.
a narrow passage, as a channel of water or a defile between hills.
Slang. Also gut course snap course.
to take out the guts or entrails of; disembowel.
to destroy the interior of.
Fire gutted the building.
to plunder (a house, city, etc.) of contents.
Invaders gutted the village.
to remove the vital or essential parts from.
The prisoner's letters were gutted by heavy censorship.
the lower part of the alimentary canal; intestine
the entire alimentary canal
(often plural) the bowels or entrails, esp of an animal
slang the belly; paunch
See catgut
a silky fibrous substance extracted from silkworms, used in the manufacture of fishing tackle
a narrow channel or passage
informal (plural) courage, willpower, or daring; forcefulness
informal (plural) the essential part
the guts of a problem
informal to make an intense effort
informal to be extremely angry with someone
informal to dislike a person very strongly
informal to work very hard
to remove the entrails from (fish, etc)
(esp of fire) to destroy the inside of (a building)
to plunder; despoil
the raiders gutted the city
to take out the central points of (an article), esp in summary form
The intestine of a vertebrate animal.
The alimentary canal of an invertebrate animal.
The tube in a vertebrate embryo that later develops into the alimentary canal, lungs, and liver.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English gut, guttes (plural), Old English guttas (plural), akin to gēotan “to pour”
Your gut is part of your digestive system — it's where food goes after you eat it, to get broken down into nutrients and waste. The expression to "go with your gut" means to follow your instincts, how you feel in your belly. Your gut is quite literally your intestines, although the word is frequently used for any part of your digestive system, especially your stomach. Eating too much ice cream can give you an ache in your gut. When gut is a verb, it means to clean the internal organs out of a fish or other animal you intend to eat, or to completely empty a building. Colloquially, if you have guts, you're very brave.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Increased GLP-1 levels were also linked to better grip strength, suggesting a possible connection between gut health and muscle function that researchers believe deserves further study.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
This disconnect between math and gut instinct reveals that the game isn’t actually just about numbers — it’s about utility and regret, which has sparked an animated discussion in the comments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Maddox: The first gut feeling was complete disempowerment, devastation and anxiety.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Speaking that same year, Miliband told BBC Political Thinking he was still recovering from what he labelled a "gut wrenching" defeat that was "in many ways" a personal rejection of him.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Felix felt a stab of guilt in his gut.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
“You manage a baseball game with your EYES, HEART, & GUT as well as your BRAIN,” Blevins posted.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2020
If the GUT approach is right, the average decay time in question is far longer than the age of the universe itself.
From Economist ● Jan. 11, 2018
In GUT models, the forces that we are familiar with here on Earth, including gravity and electromagnetism, behaved very differently in the extreme conditions of the early universe than they do today.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
The model of the car was unknown, according to the police call, but its plates included the letters and numbers GUT 18053.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 15, 2015
In Austrian spy-letters, now and afterwards, they are described to us as "GUT PREUSSISCH;" "strong for Prussia, the most of them, even in Dresden itself."
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 17 by Carlyle, Thomas
Tom Holland is officially the first “Hot Ones” guest to really spill his guts during a spicy interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
England began with the chance to bat themselves into a strong position, yet were left in peril by a Black Caps' opening burst that ripped the guts out of the home middle-order.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Our children may need the grit and guts of the pioneers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Now rate cuts are on hold, and as the rise in wholesale prices show, there’s still plenty of inflation in the guts of the economy that’s likely to show up later in the year.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
What if they hadn’t had the guts to leave Iran and try to give us a better life in America?
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
That decision essentially gutted the plaintiffs’ case before trial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Ronaldo then looked gutted as he was substituted in the 81st minute of his 26th match at a World Cup.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
In the process, she gutted the ATS—a law signed by President George Washington in 1789—and slammed the door on countless suits against corporations complicit in human rights abuses.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Manchester United veteran Harry Maguire broke ranks before the squad was officially named to reveal he had been left out and was "shocked and gutted".
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The people said you should do that before you gutted the deer.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
Friday's not guilty verdicts have been "gutting", said Sara.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
After spending decades and roughly $14 million buying, gutting, and selling properties, the Tulsa couple is now enjoying their ninth home—one they built from the ground up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
“When you actually look at the totality of what’s being put forward, we are seeing a total gutting of a resource base,” she told NOTUS.
From Slate ● May 2, 2026
“I know intimately how gutting it is to be a borrower, just sitting on the phone with a loan servicer as you try to navigate your options,” she said.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
When gutting the trailer to make room, I left one tank in place for this.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
