/ gʌt; NAmE / noun , verb , adjective
■ noun
1.
[ C ] the tube in the body through which food passes when it leaves the stomach
SYN intestine
2.
guts [ pl. ] the organs in and around the stomach, especially in an animal :
I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed.
3.
[ C ] ( informal ) a person's stomach, especially when it is large
SYN belly :
Have you seen the gut on him!
a beer gut (= caused by drinking beer)
4.
guts [ pl. ] ( informal ) the courage and determination that it takes to do sth difficult or unpleasant :
He doesn't have the guts to walk away from a well-paid job.
5.
[ C , usually pl. ] the place where your natural feelings that make you react in a particular way are thought to be :
I had a feeling in my guts that something was wrong.
6.
guts [ pl. ] the most important part of sth :
the guts of the problem
7.
[ U ] = catgut
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IDIOMS
- have sb's guts for garters
- slog / sweat / work your guts out
—more at bust verb , greedy adjective , hate verb , spill verb
■ verb ( -tt- ) [ vn ]
1.
[ usually passive ] to destroy the inside or contents of a building or room :
a factory gutted by fire
The house was completely gutted.
2.
to remove the organs from inside a fish or an animal to prepare it for cooking
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] based on feelings and emotions rather than thought and reason :
a gut feeling / reaction
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English guttas (plural), probably related to gēotan pour .