guts
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the bravery and determination you need to do something difficult or scary.
n.metaphorical courage, fortitude, or spirit. Almost exclusively used in the plural.
Simple“It took a lot of guts to tell his boss that he was quitting.”
In context“The young entrepreneur showed real guts by investing her entire life savings into a technology that most experts claimed would fail.”
UsageUsually follows the verb 'have' or 'take'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the organs inside the body, especially the stomach and intestines.
n.the visceral organs or entrails of a human or animal. Plural in form.
Simple“The doctor said the infection was deep in the patient's guts.”
In context“The biology students were tasked with identifying the various parts of the fish's guts during the afternoon dissection lab.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.the internal parts of a machine or a complex system.
n.the essential internal mechanisms or components of a device or organization.
Simple“He opened up the old radio to see if he could fix its guts.”
In context“Before you can optimize the software, you need to understand the guts of the operating system and how it manages memory.”
Synonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.your deepest feelings or a strong feeling that something is true.
n.one's innermost feelings or intuitive responses to a situation.
Simple“I hate to say it, but my guts tell me we shouldn't trust him.”
In context“Despite the logical arguments presented by the board, his guts suggested that the merger would eventually lead to a cultural disaster for the firm.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to work through a very difficult situation with a lot of effort.
v.to manifest determination or endurance, particularly in the phrasal verb 'guts out'.
Simple“The runner was exhausted but managed to guts out the final mile.”
In context“The team had to guts out a win in the final minutes of the game despite being two players down due to injuries.”
UsageCommonly used as the phrasal verb 'guts out' with a direct object.
“We had a game plan and we didn’t show the guts to follow up,” Vrancken told BBC Scotland.”