Guts — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb abbreviation adjective phrase /ˈgət/ (noun) /ˈblə-dᵊn-ˈgəts/ (adjective)

Meaning & Definition of Guts

Guts (noun)

  1. bowels, entrails —usually used in plural
  2. digestive tract; also, part of the digestive tract and especially the intestine or stomach
  3. belly, abdomen
  4. an unhappy person who complains often or constantly
  5. a digestive cavity open at only one end; especially, the cecum of the large intestine

Guts (verb)

  1. eviscerate
  2. to extract all the essential passages or portions from
  3. to destroy the inside of

Guts (abbreviation)

  1. grand unified theory; grand unification theory

Guts (adjective)

  1. marked by great vigor, violence, or fierceness

Guts (phrase)

  1. to hate someone with great intensity
  2. to divulge especially personal information
  3. to hate or dislike someone very much
  4. persevere

Guts (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the internal organs of the body

    "the student dissected the frog and looked at its guts with a mixture of fascination and disgust"

    similar: entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals
    related: bowel(s), intestine(s), chitterlings, giblet(s), variety meat

  2. strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger

    "it took a lot of guts to rush into that burning building and save her cat"

    similar: bottle (British slang), bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, daringness, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, heroism, intestinal fortitude, intrepidity, intrepidness, moxie, nerve, pecker (chiefly British), prowess, stoutness, valor, virtue
    related: backbone, fiber, fortitude, grit, gumption, mettle, pluck, pluckiness, spunk, temper, determination, perseverance, resolution, endurance, stamina, stomach, tenacity, audacity, boldness, brazenness, cheek, cojones (slang), effrontery, gall, temerity
    opposite: cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery, spinelessness
    near: cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness, mousiness, timidity, timorousness, feebleness, softness, weakness, impotence, ineffectualness, hesitation, indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution

  3. the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship

    "had the guts to keep running the race even though she felt like quitting"

    similar: backbone, constancy, fiber, fortitude, grit, grittiness, intestinal fortitude, pluck, spunk
    related: determination, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, intrepidity, intrepidness, nerve, stoutness, valor, endurance, forbearance, stamina, sufferance, tolerance, heart, mettle, spirit, audacity, boldness, brass, cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, nerviness, temerity
    opposite: spinelessness
    near: indecisiveness, irresoluteness, irresolution, vacillation, cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, faintheartedness, pusillanimity, timidity, timorousness

Guts (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to take the internal organs out of

    "you'll need to gut the fish and wash it out before you can cook it"

    similar: cleans, disembowels, draws, eviscerates
    related: bones, dresses, cuts, excises, extracts, removes, withdraws, yanks, transplants

Related Entry: Gut (noun)

Gut is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for gut, not for guts.

  1. the internal organs of the body

    "the student dissected the frog and looked at its guts with a mixture of fascination and disgust"

    similar: entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals
    related: bowel(s), intestine(s), chitterlings, giblet(s), variety meat

  2. strength of mind to carry on in spite of danger

    "it took a lot of guts to rush into that burning building and save her cat"

    similar: bottle (British slang), bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, daringness, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, heroism, intestinal fortitude, intrepidity, intrepidness, moxie, nerve, pecker (chiefly British), prowess, stoutness, valor, virtue
    related: backbone, fiber, fortitude, grit, gumption, mettle, pluck, pluckiness, spunk, temper, determination, perseverance, resolution, endurance, stamina, stomach, tenacity, audacity, boldness, brazenness, cheek, cojones (slang), effrontery, gall, temerity
    opposite: cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery, spinelessness
    near: cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness, mousiness, timidity, timorousness, feebleness, softness, weakness, impotence, ineffectualness, hesitation, indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution

  3. the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship

    "had the guts to keep running the race even though she felt like quitting"

    similar: backbone, constancy, fiber, fortitude, grit, grittiness, intestinal fortitude, pluck, spunk
    related: determination, purposefulness, resoluteness, resolution, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, intrepidity, intrepidness, nerve, stoutness, valor, endurance, forbearance, stamina, sufferance, tolerance, heart, mettle, spirit, audacity, boldness, brass, cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, nerviness, temerity
    opposite: spinelessness
    near: indecisiveness, irresoluteness, irresolution, vacillation, cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, faintheartedness, pusillanimity, timidity, timorousness

  4. the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis

    "eating too many french fries will result in a substantial gut"

    similar: abdomen, belly, breadbasket (slang), solar plexus, stomach, tummy
    related: middle, midriff, waist, paunch, potbelly, thorax

  5. an enlarged or bulging abdomen

    "an ever-expanding gut was sorry evidence that she had been neglecting her workouts"

    similar: bay window, beer belly, belly, corporation, paunch, pot, potbelly
    related: breadbasket (slang), stomach, tummy, chubbiness, corpulence, fat, fatness, fleshiness, obesity, overweight, paunchiness, plumpness, portliness, pudginess, chunkiness, heaviness, stoutness

  6. the seat of one's deepest thoughts and emotions

    "the film packs an emotional wallop that the viewer will feel in his gut"

    similar: belly, blood, bone(s), bosom, breast, core, heart, heartstrings, inner space, inside, quick, soul
    related: conscience, mind

Related Entry: Gut (verb)

Gut is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for gut, not for guts.

  1. to take the internal organs out of

    "you'll need to gut the fish and wash it out before you can cook it"

    similar: clean, disembowel, draw, eviscerate
    related: bone, dress, cut, excise, extract, remove, withdraw, yank, transplant

Related Entry: Guts it out (phrase)

Guts it out is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for guts it out, not for guts.

  1. to continue despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement

    "I know you're tired of being in the car, but can you gut it out until we get to the motel?"

    similar: carries on, perseveres, persists, hangs in there
    related: digs in, hangs on, keeps up, follows through (with), knuckles down
    near: gives up, knocks off, quits, bows, gives in, submits, succumbs, surrenders, yields, falters, hangs back, hesitates, shilly-shallies, vacillates, wavers, wobbles

Related Entry: Blood-and-guts (adjective)

Blood-and-guts is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for blood-and-guts, not for guts.

  1. marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity

    "a hockey team known for its blood-and-guts play"

    similar: bang-bang, convulsive, cyclonic, explosive, ferocious, fierce, furious, hammer-and-tongs, hot, knock-down, drag-out, paroxysmal, rabid, rough, stormy, tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent, violent, volcanic
    related: barbarous, brutal, savage, vicious, antagonistic, hostile, aggressive, assertive, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, truculent, combustible, volatile, agitated, frantic, frenzied, mad, cataclysmal, destructive, ruinous
    opposite: nonviolent, peaceable, peaceful
    near: calm, halcyon, pacific, serene, tranquil, nonbelligerent, unaggressive

Related Entry: Hate (verb)

Hate is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for hate, not for guts.

  1. to dislike strongly

    "she hates her job, she hates her friends, and she hates her life!"

    similar: abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, loathe, have it in for
    related: deplore, deprecate, disapprove (of), discountenance, disdain, disfavor, scorn
    opposite: love
    near: desire, fancy, favor, like, prefer, enjoy, relish, admire, adore, approve (of), esteem, hallow, idolize, revere, venerate, worship, cherish, prize, treasure

Related Entry: Spill (verb)

Spill is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for spill, not for guts.

  1. to make known (as information previously kept secret)

    "the actor's butler spilled the secret to a tabloid for $40,000"

    similar: bare, disclose, discover, divulge, expose, let on (about), reveal, tell, unbosom, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil, bring to light, go public (with), let the cat out of the bag (about), spill the beans (about)
    related: confide, share, debunk, show up, unclothe, undrape, advertise, announce, blaze, bring out, broadcast, declare, placard, post, proclaim, promulgate, publicize, publish, sound, betray, blab, give away, leak, inform, squeal, talk, communicate, impart, relate, acknowledge, admit, avow, concede, confess, own, disinter, rake up, smoke out, unearth
    opposite: cloak, conceal, cover (up), enshroud, hide, mask, shroud, veil
    near: camouflage, disguise, gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash, becloud, bedim, befog, cloud, darken, eclipse, obscure, overcast, overshadow, shade

Related Entry: Gut it out (phrase)

Gut it out is a different word from Guts. The synonyms below are for gut it out, not for guts.

  1. to continue despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement

    "I know you're tired of being in the car, but can you gut it out until we get to the motel?"

    similar: carry on, persevere, persist, hang in there
    related: dig in, hang on, keep up, follow through (with), knuckle down
    near: give up, knock off, quit, bow, give in, submit, succumb, surrender, yield, falter, hang back, hesitate, shilly-shally, vacillate, waver, wobble

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Guts

The most common words with a similar meaning to Guts:

British slang: bottle
Chiefly British: pecker
entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals, bravery, courage, courageousness, daring, daringness, dauntlessness, doughtiness, fearlessness, gallantry, greatheartedness, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, heroism, intestinal fortitude, intrepidity, intrepidness, moxie, nerve, prowess, stoutness, valor, virtue, backbone, constancy, fiber, fortitude, grit, grittiness, pluck, spunk, cleans, disembowels, draws

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Guts

Words with the opposite meaning of Guts:

cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery, spinelessness

Related Words for Guts

bowel(s), intestine(s), chitterlings, giblet(s), variety meat, gumption, mettle, pluckiness, temper, determination, perseverance, resolution, endurance, stamina, stomach, tenacity, audacity, boldness, brazenness, cheek, cojones, effrontery, gall, temerity, purposefulness, resoluteness, forbearance, sufferance, tolerance, spirit

Near Antonyms of Guts

cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness, mousiness, timidity, timorousness, feebleness, softness, weakness, impotence, ineffectualness, hesitation, indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution, irresoluteness, vacillation, pusillanimity

Word Forms of Guts

Inflections: gutted, gutting

Origin & Etymology of Guts

Middle English, from Old English guttas, plural; probably akin to Old English gēotan to pour

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Guts

blood-and-guts, hate one's guts, spill one's guts, hate someone's guts, misery guts

Frequently Asked Questions about Guts

What does "Guts" mean?

"Guts" means bowels, entrails —usually used in plural. As an a noun, a verb, an abbreviation, an adjective and a phrase, it is defined as: bowels, entrails —usually used in plural. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Guts"?

Other words for "Guts" include entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals, bottle and bravery. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Guts" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Guts"?

There are 85 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Guts". Common alternatives include entrails, innards, inside(s), inwards, viscera, vitals, bottle, bravery, courage and courageousness.

What is the opposite of "Guts"?

Antonyms of "Guts" include cowardice, cowardliness, cravenness, dastardliness, poltroonery and spinelessness. Near antonyms include cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness and mousiness.

How do you use "Guts" in a sentence?

Examples of "Guts" in a sentence: "the student dissected the frog and looked at its guts with a mixture of fascination and disgust"; "it took a lot of guts to rush into that burning building and save her cat"; "had the guts to keep running the race even though she felt like quitting".

Is "Guts" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Guts" can be used as a noun, a verb, an abbreviation, an adjective and a phrase, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Guts"?

"Guts" is pronounced /ˈgət/ as a noun and /ˈblə-dᵊn-ˈgəts/ as an adjective.

What is the origin of the word "Guts"?

"Guts" comes from Middle English, from Old English guttas, plural; probably akin to Old English gēotan to pour. First known use: before 12th century.