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MrPernickety Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary

Use of "gumption"

Hi,

According to the dictionary, "gumption" means "guts/nerve", and its use is restricted to BrE and NzE only.

I wonder if Americans use this word to mean "guts", as in the following sentence:

When I gathered the gumption to go back and apologise...

Thanks !
  

Top answer

I think the use in AmEng is more to mean energy, although I cannot say that your example is incorrect: I needed to cut the grass last weekend, but I just didn't have the gumption to do it.

— Philip

  • I think the use in AmEng is more to mean energy, although I cannot say that your example is incorrect: I needed to cut the grass last weekend, but I just didn't have the gumption to do it.
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5 Answers
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I think the use in AmEng is more to mean energy, although I cannot say that your example is incorrect:

I needed to cut the grass last weekend, but I just didn't have the gumption to do it.
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It's not an expression I use much myself, but I think (in American English) it more often means "nerve" than "physical energy" (Do I have the gumption to disagree with Philip on this?) It sounds kind of old-fashioned and slangy to me -- don't use it in any formal situations!
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Thank you, Khoff and Philip !

I will heed your advice.
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The only help I can find in American Heritage to support my initial response is: initiative. That doesn't support the way I've been using the word all these years, but it helps a little.
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This page has 10 awesome example sentences using the word gumption! http://wordsinasentence.com/gumption-in-a-sentence/ Hope it helps.
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