Dictionary Home » The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms » gut it out

gut it out

gut it out idiom

Also, tough it out. Show pluck and perseverance in the face of opposition or adversity. For example, I know it's hard but we'll just have to gut it out, or His boss has a terrible temper, but Joe is determined to tough it out. The first term dates from the mid-1900s; the variant was first recorded in 1860.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.