MEANING
Practical courage and initiative in getting something done.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- show gumption
- have the gumption
On the page
She had the gumption to ask the question everyone avoided.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- gumption
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, atmosphere, interpretation. Commonness: moderately common.
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