Gut Meaning
/ɡʌt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe alimentary canal, especially the intestine.
nounThe abdomen of a person, especially one that is enlarged.
Sentence Examples
Years of heavy drinking has left John with a beer gut.
I'm going to slug you in the gut.
It can take up to 72 hours for food to pass through the gut.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After eating too much, he felt a sharp pain in his ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had a strong ____ feeling that something was wrong, even though he couldn't explain exactly why.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English gut, gutte, gotte, from Old English gutt (usually in plural guttas (“guts, entrails”)), from Proto-Germanic *gut-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Related to English gote (“drain”), Old English ġēotan (“to pour”). More at gote, yote. The verb is from Middle English gutten, gotten (“to gut”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken any way you please, is bad, / And strands them in forsaken guts and creeks / No decent soul would think of visiting."
— 1887 March 21, Rudyard Kipling, “Kidnapped”, in Plain Tales from the Hills, Calcutta: Thacker, Spink and Co.; London: W. Thacker & Co., published 1888, →OCLC, page 111:
"The fuselage came to rest 522 feet from the initial impact point on a magnetic heading of 175 degrees. The complete fuselage from the nose section, including the nose gear section, aft to the empennage, was extensively burned and gutted by fire. The cabin area, which consisted of only the lower fuselage, was melted and the metal was visible in the ice."
— 1982 July 20, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.12 Wreckage and Impact Information”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458, deHavilland DHC-6-100, N127PM, Near Providence, Rhode Island, February 21, 1982, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2024, page 4:
"He gutted the kitchen, replacing an outdated scheme with a sexy mélange of mirror, lacquer, Rouge Griotte marble, and African mahogany."
— 2026 May 26, Sam Cochran, “Show of Hands”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 69:
"It's no worse than what he said in Miami, but hearing him repeat it, attribute it to my father...it guts me. “That's who your family is. Who you are. Stangers—Stanleys, whatever your fucking names are,” he spits."
— 2016 October 4, Danielle Pearl, In Ruins, Forever, →ISBN:
"What's bothering me is that I'd felt more for him than I realized, and it guts me that it's over before it can really get going."
— 2017 October 4, Angela Quarles, Earning It: A Romantic Comedy, Unsealed Room Press, →ISBN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After eating too much, he felt a sharp pain in his ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He had a strong ____ feeling that something was wrong, even though he couldn't explain exactly why.