gumption

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gumption

/ˈɡʌmpʃən/

Rhymes with -ʌmpʃən

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Scots gumption (“common sense, shrewdness; drive, initiative”); further etymology unknown, possibly connected with Middle English gome (“attention, heed”), from Old Norse gaumr (“attention, heed”), from Proto-Germanic *gaumō. English cognates include gaum (“to comprehend, understand”) and goam (“to recognize, see”).

noun gumptions

Ireland, UK, uncountable, usually Common sense, initiative, resourcefulness. Gumption, or rum gumption, docility, comprehenſion, capacity.
Similar: gumph
US, uncountable, usually Boldness of enterprise; aggressiveness or initiative. "You've got a hard way of looking at things, Scarlett," he said. "But you think Hugh over. You could go far and do worse. I think his honesty and his willingness will outweigh his lack of gumption. Scarlett did not answer, for she did not want to be too rude. But to her mind there were few, if any,
Similar: chutzpah, gumph, gump, guts, spunk
US, uncountable, usually Energy of body and mind, enthusiasm. A person filled with gumption doesn't sit around dissipating and stewing about things. He's at the front of the train of his own awareness, watching to see what's up the track and meeting it when it comes. That's gumption.
Similar: gumph

Translations

Every language

noun common sense, initiative

Español	caletre
Português	bom senso
Deutsch	Grips, Vernunft
Italiano	iniziativa, intraprendenza, arguzia, capacità
Русский	находчивость naxodčivostʹ

noun boldness of enterprise

Español	coraje, iniciativa
Português	coragem, iniciativa
Deutsch	Biss, Durchhaltevermögen, Unternehmenssinn

noun energy of body and mind

Español	entusiasmo, iniciativa
Português	entusiasmo, iniciativa
Deutsch	Enthusiasmus, Lebenslust

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MLA

"gumption." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gumption. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gumption. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gumption

Chicago

"gumption." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gumption.

BibTeX

@misc{gumption_2026,
  title = {gumption},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gumption},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}