gut
gut — verb
1. When a building is gutted by fire, the flames destroy everything inside and only
When a building is gutted by fire, the flames destroy everything inside and only the outer walls remain standing.
A fire gutted the old wooden school hall last Tuesday night.
active: gut + building in fire context
The factory was completely gutted by flames before the firefighters arrived.
passive: be gutted by flames
Many historic buildings in the city centre were gutted during the 1892 fire.
The church was gutted by a fire that started in the basement kitchen.
An electrical fault gutted the warehouse and destroyed thousands of boxes of goods.
文法句型
be gutted + by [fire, flames, blaze]
gut + building/structure
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive form (be gutted by fire). This sense always describes destruction, not renovation.
常見錯誤
2. To strip out all the interior walls, fittings, and fixtures from a building so t
To strip out all the interior walls, fittings, and fixtures from a building so that the space can be entirely redesigned and rebuilt from scratch.
The couple gutted the old apartment before installing new plumbing and wiring.
active: gut + building before renovation work
Lara gutted the kitchen completely and chose new cabinets and tiles.
Developers gutted the factory and turned the space into modern loft apartments.
The entire top floor was gutted so the offices could become open-plan workspaces.
Anong decided to gut the bathroom and replace everything from the bathtub to the tiles.
文法句型
gut + building/room/kitchen
be gutted + for [renovation, redevelopment]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes a deliberate removal of interiors for renovation, not destruction by fire. The subject is a person or developer, not a fire.
常見錯誤
3. To take the internal organs out of a fish, bird, or animal before cooking and pr
To take the internal organs out of a fish, bird, or animal before cooking and preparing it as food.
The fisherman gutted the trout beside the river before bringing it home for dinner.
active: gut + fish before cooking
Ryo taught his daughter how to gut a fish properly with a sharp knife.
The cook gutted the chicken, then rinsed it thoroughly under cold running water.
At the outdoor market, Putri watched the seller gut the fresh mackerel for her customer.
The farm workers killed and gutted the turkeys the night before the holiday feast.
- eviscerate
formal or medical term; gut is the everyday word
- clean
broader — includes scaling, removing head; gut is one specific step
- dress
hunting/cooking term for preparing the whole animal; gut is part of dressing
文法句型
gut + fish/animal/bird
gut + [animal] + before [cooking, roasting]
常見錯誤
gut — noun
1. the long tube inside the body that carries food from the stomach through the pro
the long tube inside the body that carries food from the stomach through the process of digestion until waste leaves the body
The doctor explained how food travels through the gut after we swallow it.
the + gut; passive: is carried through
Regular exercise helps keep your gut healthy and working properly.
your + gut; collocation: keep + gut + healthy
An infection in the gut can make it hard to absorb nutrients from food.
Dario's doctor told him that stress affects the gut more than people realise.
The human gut contains billions of bacteria that help break down food.
- digestive tract
more formal or technical term for the same physical system
- intestines
more specific; refers to the lower part of the gut, not the stomach
- alimentary canal
scientific term covering the whole digestive passage
文法句型
the + gut
a person's + gut
2. the belly area of a person, describing a stomach that is noticeably big, round,
the belly area of a person, describing a stomach that is noticeably big, round, or pushes forward
After years of drinking beer every night, Uncle Mateo had grown quite a gut.
have a gut = have a large belly
Adaeze patted her gut and laughed after finishing the huge meal.
The old man's gut hung over his belt as he sat reading his newspaper.
A large gut can put extra pressure on the lower back and knees.
James decided to start running when his gut started getting in the way of tying his shoes.
文法句型
possessive + gut
a + adjective + gut
用法筆記
This sense is informal; in formal or medical contexts, use 'stomach' or 'abdomen' instead. It is almost always used to describe a noticeably large or protruding belly.
常見錯誤
3. the internal organs of an animal, especially the intestines and stomach, often r
the internal organs of an animal, especially the intestines and stomach, often removed before cooking the meat
The hunter removed the deer's guts before carrying the meat home.
remove + the + [animal]'s + guts
Élise carefully cleaned the fish and threw its guts into the garden for the birds.
Selim rinsed the pig's guts in cold water before using them as sausage casings.
The vet examined the rabbit's guts to find the cause of its illness.
Zola removed the fish guts at the kitchen sink before rinsing the fillets under the tap.
文法句型
the + guts + of + animal
remove + guts
用法筆記
Used in the plural form 'guts' to refer to a collection of internal organs. The singular 'gut' for this sense is rare and would refer to a single organ.
4. a tough thin cord made from animal intestines, traditionally used to string viol
a tough thin cord made from animal intestines, traditionally used to string violins, tennis rackets, and for surgical stitching
Professional violinists used gut strings long before metal or nylon were available.
gut + strings; past tense: long before...
Tennis rackets were strung with gut until the 1970s when synthetic fibres took over.
The musician preferred the warm tone that gut produced on her cello.
Stefan replaced the gut strings on his tennis racket just before the championship match.
- catgut
the full common name for this material
文法句型
made of + gut
gut + string
用法筆記
Often called 'catgut', though it was never made from cats — the name probably comes from 'kitgut' (kit meaning a small violin). Today, synthetic materials have almost completely replaced gut for most uses.
5. a strong, unexplainable belief about a person or a situation that comes from ins
a strong, unexplainable belief about a person or a situation that comes from instinct rather than from careful reasoning
Anya had a gut feeling that she should not take the job, even though the pay was good.
have a gut feeling + that-clause
Mateo's gut told him the house was a bad investment, so he walked away from the deal.
Mira's gut feeling about the candidate turned out to be right after just two weeks on the job.
Hoa's gut feeling told her the patient had internal bleeding, even though the test results looked normal.
Hamza ignored his gut feeling and lent the money, which he never got back.
文法句型
have a + gut feeling + (that)
gut + tells + person + that
用法筆記
The subject is often a possessive pronoun ('my gut', 'her gut') or appears in the 'have a gut feeling' construction. This sense is informal; in formal writing, use 'intuition' or 'instinct' instead.
常見錯誤
6. a method of making choices that relies on emotional instinct and immediate feeli
a method of making choices that relies on emotional instinct and immediate feelings instead of logical analysis and careful thought
When the two candidates seemed equally qualified, Erik went with his gut and hired the quieter one.
go with + possessive + gut = decide instinctively
Yuna relied on her gut to pick which apartment to rent, and she never regretted it.
Experienced poker players learn to trust their gut when the odds are too close to calculate.
Following your gut is not always wise when buying a house or making a large investment.
Rachid made the choice by gut rather than by studying the market reports.
文法句型
go with + possessive + gut
follow + possessive + gut
by + gut
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 5 (GUT FEELING): sense 5 is the feeling itself ('I have a gut feeling'), while this sense is the decision-making method ('I went with my gut'). The fixed phrase 'go with your gut' is the most common pattern for this sense.
常見錯誤
7. the mental toughness and bravery required when facing a hard, frightening, or un
the mental toughness and bravery required when facing a hard, frightening, or uncertain situation, for example standing up to an unfair rule or making a major life change
Standing up to the school bully took more guts than Élise thought she had.
plural 'guts' used as an uncountable noun for courage
It takes real guts to admit you were wrong in front of a large audience.
'It takes guts + to-infinitive' pattern
Caio did not have the guts to ask his boss for a raise after only three months.
The decision to leave her hometown and move abroad required a lot of guts from Yael.
Christopher showed surprising guts when he volunteered to give the first wedding speech.
文法句型
have the guts + to-infinitive
用法筆記
In this sense, 'guts' is always used in its plural form but takes singular meaning. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'have the guts to do something.'
常見錯誤
8. a very narrow stretch of salt water that connects two larger bodies of water, of
a very narrow stretch of salt water that connects two larger bodies of water, often running between islands or along a rugged coastline
The fishing boat passed through a narrow gut between the two rocky islands.
countable: 'a gut' as a narrow water passage
Small ships use this gut to avoid the rough currents of the open sea.
The gut connecting the lake to the ocean is only fifty metres wide at low tide.
During the storm, the captain steered the vessel into a sheltered gut for safety.
Local fishermen know every hidden gut along this part of the rocky coastline.
9. the most essential or central part of something, without which it would not func
the most essential or central part of something, without which it would not function or have real meaning, such as the key workings of a machine or the heart of an argument
Putri spent hours learning the guts of the computer system before her first day at work.
phrase: 'the guts of [a system]' meaning internal workings
The real gut of the issue is whether the company can afford to hire more staff.
To fix the old generator you need to understand the guts of how it operates.
The gut of the novel is a simple story of love and loss during the civil war.
Tendai believes the gut of a good education is teaching students how to think for themselves.
文法句型
the gut of + noun phrase
the guts of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Both 'gut' (singular) and 'guts' (plural) are used in this sense with the same meaning. 'Guts' is more common for physical objects like machines; 'gut' is more common for abstract things like issues or arguments.
常見錯誤
gut — adjective
1. based on a strong emotional feeling about something, rather than on careful thou
based on a strong emotional feeling about something, rather than on careful thought or available facts
Tunde had a gut feeling that the job interview went well.
collocation: gut feeling
When the fire alarm went off, Élise's gut reaction was to run to the door.
collocation: gut reaction
My gut instinct told me the old house was not a safe place to stay.
Noa trusted her gut response and walked away from the bad deal.
- rational
based on reason rather than emotion
- deliberate
carefully considered over time
文法句型
gut + noun (feeling, reaction, instinct, etc.)
用法筆記
This sense is always used before a noun (attributive position). The noun it modifies is almost always a type of mental or emotional reaction — common collocates include 'feeling', 'reaction', 'instinct', and 'response'.
常見錯誤
2. producing a very powerful effect on someone's emotions or being directly relevan
producing a very powerful effect on someone's emotions or being directly relevant to the most central aspects of a situation
The documentary gave a gut-wrenching account of life inside the refugee camp.
compound adjective: gut-wrenching
The photo of the injured child was gut-wrenching, and Valentina turned away from the screen.
compound adjective: gut-wrenching
Hannah described the film as a gut-level drama about loss and family secrets.
Daichi watched a gut-wrenching documentary about the struggle of refugee families.
- powerful
broader and less informal; lacks the visceral, physical connotation
- intense
focuses on strength of feeling but does not suggest a gut-level reaction specifically
- hard-hitting
similarly informal and journalistic; emphasises directness more than emotional depth
- mild
gentle in impact or emotion
- superficial
lacking depth or real importance
文法句型
gut- + present participle (wrenching, churning, punching)
用法筆記
Often appears as the first part of a compound adjective formed with a present participle (gut-wrenching, gut-churning, gut-punching) or a noun (gut-level). These compounds are common in journalism and informal speech.
常見錯誤
gut — abbreviation
1. a scientific model that tries to explain three of the four fundamental forces of
a scientific model that tries to explain three of the four fundamental forces of nature — the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and the electromagnetic force — as different parts of a single force
Many physicists believe a GUT could describe how all particles interact.
article 'a' before abbreviation GUT
The search for a GUT is one of the biggest goals in modern physics.
Professor Chen drew a diagram of a GUT on the whiteboard for the graduate physics class.
Eric read about different GUT models in his physics textbook.
Experiments that test GUT predictions need enormous amounts of energy.
- unified field theory
a broader concept that also aims to include gravity; GUT is one kind of unified theory
- grand unification theory
the full written-out form of the same abbreviation; interchangeable in meaning
文法句型
GUT + noun (model, prediction)
a/the GUT
用法筆記
Always written in capital letters (GUT) to distinguish it from the unrelated word 'gut' (stomach or instinct). In scientific writing, GUT is typically introduced with the full phrase 'grand unified theory' at first use and the abbreviation thereafter.