gumption
[ guhmp-shuhn ]
nounInformal.
initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness: With his gumption he'll make a success of himself.
courage; spunk; guts: It takes gumption to quit a high-paying job.
Chiefly British Dialect. common sense; shrewdness.
Origin of gumption
11710–20; originally Scots
Other words from gumption
- gump·tion·less, adjective
- gumptious, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for gumption
gumption
/ (ˈɡʌmpʃən) /
nouninformal
British common sense or resourcefulness
initiative or courage: you haven't the gumption to try
Origin of gumption
1C18: originally Scottish, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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