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gut check

British

noun

a pause to assess the state, progress, or condition of something such as an enterprise or institution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Just this once, I made an exception to the Journal rule that forbids showing sources advance copy and sent the draft to Greenspan’s spokesman for a gut check.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Major U.S. importers are facing off against the world’s largest ocean carriers in an early gut check for trade in 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

They can supply a helpful gut check as to what the general public thinks about a future event and may reflect the wisdom of crowds.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

“My gut check is, this is bad,” said Todd Sorensen, a professor in the economics department at UC Riverside.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2025

Yes, it is a gut check, a test of how much Kevin Whitworth wants to play this game.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023