Meaning
To have the guts to do something is to be brave enough to do it, especially when it is awkward or a little risky. Your guts are your stomach and everything inside it, and English has long placed courage there: you get a "gut feeling", and a scary moment hits you in the stomach. So someone with guts can take that hit and still act.
It usually comes with "to" and a verb: "have the guts to say no", "have the guts to quit". You hear it most in the negative, about the thing you didn't do: "I never had the guts to tell him." It is informal but not rude, fine with friends and colleagues. "It takes guts" is the admiring version you say about someone else.
In a conversation
- Priya
- Marcus
- Priya
- Marcus
- Priya
- Marcus
Say it out loud
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Check yourself
Practice · 3 min
Listen, then say each line. Stress "guts" and let it land hard: it is a short, punchy word.
Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.