Idioms

a gut feeling

This page is about the idiom a gut feeling

Meaning

If you have a gut feeling, you sense something about a person or a situation, without knowing why, but you're sure what you sense is true.

For example

  • As soon as I came into the room I had a gut feeling that something was wrong - and then I saw the dead body.

  • Chaz said his gut feeling was that Laura was lying and, sure enough, she was.

Origin: Probably derived from the fact that many people experience emotions and intuitive feelings as being centred on, or having a strong effect on, the stomach area, which is also called the gut. Interestingly, the nervous system's second biggest network of closely-interconnected neurones, after the brain, is located in this area of the body.

Quick Quiz

Beth said she had a gut feeling that her husband was cheating on her, but she

a. couldn't prove it

b. could prove it

c. had proved it already
a) couldn't prove it b) could prove it c) had proved it already

Learn idioms easily with
Common English Idioms PDF ebook!

Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey