gut

"Gut" is a versatile word with several common meanings. It can be a noun referring to parts of the body, an adjective describing a deep instinctive feeling, or a verb meaning to remove the inside of something. Here are the most useful senses.

1nounstomach / digestive system

Your gut is the tube inside your body that processes food — basically your stomach and intestines. When people say 'my gut hurts', they mean they have a stomach ache. You might also hear 'gut health', which refers to how well your digestive system is working.

everyday language / medicine · Modern, widely used

After eating too much, he felt a sharp pain in his gut.

Doctors say that a healthy gut is important for your overall wellbeing.

The surgery was on his gut, so he had to avoid solid food for a few days.

2nounfigurativeguts — courage or determination

When you say someone has 'guts', you mean they are brave and not afraid to do difficult or risky things. It is a very common informal way to talk about courage. You can also say something 'takes guts', meaning it requires bravery.

everyday language · Modern, widely used · figurative

It takes real guts to stand up and speak in front of a large crowd.

She had the guts to quit her job and start her own business.

I didn't have the guts to tell him the truth.

3adjectivefigurativegut feeling / gut reaction

A 'gut feeling' or 'gut reaction' is a strong instinct — something you feel is true or right without being able to fully explain why. Think of it as your body telling you something before your brain has time to think it through.

everyday language · Modern, widely used · figurative

My gut feeling was that something was wrong, even though everything looked fine.

He made a gut decision to turn back before the storm arrived.

Trust your gut reaction — it is often right.

4verbto remove the inside of something

When you gut a fish or an animal, you remove its internal organs to prepare it for cooking. More broadly, to gut a building means to completely destroy or remove everything inside it, leaving only the outer walls.

cooking / construction · Modern, widely used

She gutted the fish before putting it on the grill.

The fire gutted the entire building, leaving only the walls standing.

He gutted the old house and rebuilt the interior from scratch.

5verbfigurativeto destroy the most important part of something

You can use 'gut' figuratively to mean removing or destroying the core or most valuable part of something — like a law, a plan, or an organisation. If a law is 'gutted', it means the key parts have been removed and it no longer works as intended.

politics / business · Modern, widely used · figurative

The new amendments completely gutted the environmental protection law.

Budget cuts have gutted the school's arts programme.

Critics said the reforms gutted the original proposal.