# guts

/ˈɡəts/ (US) · /ɡˈʌts/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/guts
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. courage

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the bravery and determination you need to do something difficult or scary.

For teachers: metaphorical courage, fortitude, or spirit. Almost exclusively used in the plural.

- It took a lot of guts to tell his boss that he was quitting.
- The young entrepreneur showed real guts by investing her entire life savings into a technology that most experts claimed would fail.

Usage: Usually follows the verb 'have' or 'take'.

### 2. internal organs

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the organs inside the body, especially the stomach and intestines.

For teachers: the visceral organs or entrails of a human or animal. Plural in form.

- The doctor said the infection was deep in the patient's guts.
- The biology students were tasked with identifying the various parts of the fish's guts during the afternoon dissection lab.

### 3. inner workings

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

the internal parts of a machine or a complex system.

For teachers: the essential internal mechanisms or components of a device or organization.

- He opened up the old radio to see if he could fix its guts.
- Before you can optimize the software, you need to understand the guts of the operating system and how it manages memory.

### 4. instinct

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

your deepest feelings or a strong feeling that something is true.

For teachers: one's innermost feelings or intuitive responses to a situation.

- I hate to say it, but my guts tell me we shouldn't trust him.
- Despite the logical arguments presented by the board, his guts suggested that the merger would eventually lead to a cultural disaster for the firm.

### 5. to endure

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal

to work through a very difficult situation with a lot of effort.

For teachers: to manifest determination or endurance, particularly in the phrasal verb 'guts out'.

- The runner was exhausted but managed to guts out the final mile.
- The team had to guts out a win in the final minutes of the game despite being two players down due to injuries.

Usage: Commonly used as the phrasal verb 'guts out' with a direct object.

## Examples

- It takes a lot of guts to quit your job.
- The young entrepreneur had the guts to pitch her idea to a room full of skeptical investors.
- While the physical guts are essential for biological survival, the metaphorical guts are what define a leader's ability to make unpopular decisions under extreme pressure.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.