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Definition of "gumption" []

  • Informal Boldness of enterprise; initiative or aggressiveness. (noun)
  • Informal Guts; spunk. (noun)
  • Informal Common sense. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "gumption" in a sentence
  • "But they hadn't what we call gumption, they put all their capital into one line of business, and you may be sure they swamped the market."
  • "And gumption is always welcome (whereas the timorousness of anonymity will be quashed -- c.f. the A-Z of the blog I can't be bothered linking to at the moment)."
  • "It's been a long time since I've seen a vice presidential nominee with so muchwhat's the word gumption!"