gumption

noun

gump·tion ˈgəm(p)-shən

Synonyms of gumption next

: enterprise, initiative

lacked the gumption to try

chiefly dialectal : common sense, horse sense

Did you know?

English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term's source isn't known, but early examples of it are found in Scottish (the related terms rumblegumption and rumgumption can be found there too). Gumption originally referred to common sense, but American English speakers adopted the word and took it in a new direction, using it to refer to the kind of courage or get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Art historians may know a couple additional applications for the word: gumption was historically used both to refer to the art of preparing painters' colors, and as a synonym of megilp, which refers to a mixture of linseed oil and mastic varnish that is used as a vehicle for oil paints.

Examples of gumption in a Sentence

It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that. the company needs a new leader with the gumption and know-how that comes from experience

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The first-time leading lady, who has cerebral palsy herself, instills her character with effervescence, gumption and a winning, earnest sincerity. —

Courtney Howard, Variety, 27 Nov. 2024 In this mix of home-invasion terror and slasher picture, Kate Siegel puts a different spin on the usual horror heroine as an author unable to hear or speak but who has plenty of gumption when she's stalked in her home by a masked killer. 66. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 Researchers have time and again observed that the public, and perhaps especially the American public, is drawn to stories in which an average person, through some combination of luck and gumption, trounces a far more formidable opponent in a lopsided conflict. —

Jared Sullivan, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024 Likewise, the skeptical reporter Darius (Plaza’s role, here given warmth and gumption by Nkeki Obi-Melekwe) and her shy, buried-in-his-laptop co-worker Arnau (Rohan Kymal) make the jump with relative grace. —

Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gumption