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Glite Dictionary
gut check

gut check

3 8.8
A quick feeling that tells you if something is right
  • noun
  • /ɡʌt tʃɛk/
  • Informal
translation icon : evaluación instintiva
  • The election does not hinge on Paul Ryan's interview etiquette, but the Internet media can always use a gut check.
  • gut check moment

Examples

  • It allows for a group "gut check," encouraging intuitive knowledge on the one hand and addressing negative emotions on the other.

    Academic text (2006)

  • During the meeting, she suggested we all take a gut check regarding our priorities for the project.

  • Well, it was gut check time for a lot of us.

    Desperation (2006)

  • Do a quick gut check with yourself because your mindset is critical.

  • This is a great gut check to make sure you are highlighting the skills that are important to employers, not just the skills that make you feel good about yourself.

    Blog text (28)

  • It was doable, but it was a gut check.

    Blog text (9)

  • Quick gut check—do you find yourself asking these questions?

    Blog text (2)

  • So, gut check time, I implore you to take a deep breath and ask yourself honestly: do you fall into these traps when considering whether to order a "controversial" book?

    Academic text (2012)

  • Before making a big decision, it's important to do a gut check to see how you really feel about it.

  • The team had to do a gut check after losing their last game to understand their true capabilities.

Synonyms

feeling
vsgut check
∞ 1.0

A natural ability to understand or do something

is a focused evaluative judgment based on instinct rather than a vague impression
hunch
vsgut check
159 4.7

A guess based on a feeling rather than facts

is a deliberate quick internal evaluation rather than a mere guess
gut reaction
vsgut check
8 4.3

A strong first feeling you have without thinking

is a reflective instinctive assessment instead of a spontaneous response
gut factor
vsgut check
  • Informal
7.8

A feeling you have that helps you choose when facts are unclear

is an explicit instinctive assessment rather than a guiding feeling

How Instinctive

instinct
596 2.8
hunch
159 4.7
gut check
  • Informal
3 8.8
judgment
  • US
358 2.4

Surface Forms

gut check singular
gut checks plural

Morphology

gut + check

The noun 'check' clearly signals an evaluation, but 'gut' here is used metaphorically to mean instinct or feeling rather than the literal body part. A B1 learner who only knows the literal sense of 'gut' may not infer the instinctive nuance, so the composition is partly predictable but requires prior exposure to the metaphor 'gut feeling'.

Etymology

Gut check comes from the idea of checking your gut, or belly, to see what it tells you, a quick check inside yourself. So a gut check means a fast, natural decision based on your 'feelings' rather than careful thinking.