guts

From the verb gut: (⇒ conjugate)

guts is: ⓘ

v 3rd person singular

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

gut /gʌt/   n., v., gut•ted, gut•ting, adj. 
n. 

1. Anatomy [countable] the part of the body that carries food and digests it, esp. the intestines.
2. guts:
   • Anatomy [plural] the inner organs of the body, esp. the bowels.
   • [uncountable] courage;
     nerve:
     He didn't have the guts to defend them.
   • [plural] the inner working parts of a machine or device:
     peered into the guts of the computer.
3. the belly;
   abdomen:
   [countable] a huge gut that draped over his waistband.
4. Anatomy, [uncountable] intestinal tissue or fiber;
   catgut.

v. [~ + object]

5. to take out the inner organs of;
   disembowel:
   to gut a fish.
6. to destroy the interior of:
   Fire gutted the building.
7. to remove the vital or essential parts from:
   Layoffs and firings gutted our department.

adj. [before a noun]

8. Informal Terms
   • basic;
     essential:
     gut issues.
   • based on instincts or emotions:
     a gut reaction.

Idioms

9. Idioms hate someone's guts, to hate or despise (someone) thoroughly.
10. spill one's guts, to tell everything;
    reveal one's secret feelings.

gut•less, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

gut  (gut), n., v., gut•ted, gut•ting, adj. 
n. 

1. Anatomy the alimentary canal, esp. between the pylorus and the anus, or some portion of it. Cf. foregut, midgut, hindgut.
2. Anatomy guts:
   • the 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.
3. the belly;
   stomach;
   abdomen.
4. the substance forming the case of the intestine;
   intestinal tissue or fiber:
   sheep's gut.
5. a preparation of the intestines of an animal, used for various purposes, as for violin strings, tennis rackets, or fishing lines.
6. the silken substance taken from a silkworm killed when about to spin its cocoon, used in making snells for fishhooks.
7. a narrow passage, as a channel of water or a defile between hills.
8. Slang Terms a gut course.
9. Idioms spill one's guts, [Slang.] to tell all;
   lay oneself bare:
   the famous star spills his guts in his autobiography.

v.t. 

10. to take out the guts or entrails of;
    disembowel.
11. to destroy the interior of:
    Fire gutted the building.
12. to plunder (a house, city, etc.) of contents:
    Invaders gutted the village.
13. to remove the vital or essential parts from:
    The prisoner's letters were gutted by heavy censorship.

adj. 

14. Informal Terms
    • basic or essential:
      to discuss the gut issues.
    • based on instincts or emotions:
      a gut reaction; gut decisions.

• Middle English gut, guttes (plural), Old English guttas (plural), akin to gēotan to pour bef. 1000

gut′like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 2. b. pluck.

GUT, [Physics.]

1. Physics grand unification theory.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gut / ɡʌt/ noun

1. the lower part of the alimentary canal; intestine
2. the entire alimentary canal
   Related adjective(s): visceral
3. (often plural) the bowels or entrails, esp of an animal
4. the belly; paunch
5. See catgut
6. a silky fibrous substance extracted from silkworms, used in the manufacture of fishing tackle
7. a narrow channel or passage
8. (plural) courage, willpower, or daring; forcefulness
9. (plural) the essential part: the guts of a problem
10. have someone's guts for garters ⇒ to inflict a severe punishmnnet on someone

verb (guts, gutting, gutted)(transitive)

1. to remove the entrails from (fish, etc)
2. (esp of fire) to destroy the inside of (a building)
3. to take out the central points of (an article), esp in summary form

adjective

1. arising from or characterized by what is basic, essential, or natural: a gut problem, a gut reaction

Etymology: Old English gutt; related to gēotan to flow; see fusion