GU -abbr

  1. genitourinary
  2. Guam

gua·ca·mo·le [,gwä-kə-'mō-lē] -n

  1. pureed or mashed avocado seasoned with condiments

gua·cha·ro ['gwä-chə-,rō] -n

  1. oilbird

guai·ac ['gwī-,ak, 'gī-] -n

  1. guaiacum

guai·a·cum ['gwī-ə-kəm, 'gī-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Guaiacum) of the caltrop family of tropical American evergreen trees and shrubs having pinnate leaves, usu. blue flowers, and capsular fruit
  2. the hard greenish-brown wood of a guaiacum (esp. Guaiacum officinale)
  3. a resin with a faint balsamic odor that is obtained from the trunk of two guaiacums ( G. officinaleand G. sanctum) and often used as a clinical reagent

guan ['gwän] -n

  1. any of various large gregarious neotropical birds (family Cracidae) that are chiefly arboreal forest-dwellers and that somewhat resemble turkeys

gua·na·co [gwə-'nä-(,)kō] -n

  1. a So. American mammal ( Lama guanicoe) of dry open country that has a soft thick fawn-colored coat and is related to the camel but lacks a dorsal hump

gua·neth·i·dine [gwä-'ne-thə-,dēn] -n

  1. a drug C 10H 22N 4used esp. in the form of its sulfate to treat hypertension

gua·ni·dine ['gwä-nə-,dēn] -n

  1. a base CH 5N 3derived from guanine that in the form of its hydrochloride acts as a parasympathetic stimulant and is used esp. to denature proteins

gua·nine ['gwä-,nēn] -n

  1. a purine base C 5H 5N 5O that codes genetic information in the polynucleotide chain of DNA or RNA

gua·no ['gwä-(,)nō] -n

  1. a fertilizer containing the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats
  2. excrement esp. of seabirds or bats

gua·no·sine ['gwä-nə-,sēn] -n

  1. a nucleoside C 10H 13N 5O 5composed of guanine and ribose

guanosine triphosphate -n

  1. gtp

guar ['gwär] -n

  1. a drought-tolerant legume ( Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) cultivated in warm regions as a vegetable, for forage, and for its seeds which produce guar gum

gua·ra·na [,gwä-rə-'nä] -n

  1. a dried paste that is made from the seeds of a So. American climbing shrub ( Paullinia cupana) of the soapberry family, that contains caffeine and tannin, and that is used as a stimulant
  2. this plant

gua·ra·ni [,gwär-ə-'nē] -n

  1. a member of a Tupi-Guaranian people of Bolivia, Paraguay, and southern Brazil
  2. the language of the Guarani

guar·an·tee [,ger-ən-'tē, ,gär-, ,ga-rən- also 'ger-ən-, or 'gär-ən-,, 'ga-rən-,] -n

  1. guarantor
  2. guaranty
  3. : an assurance for the fulfillment of a condition: as
  4. an agreement by which one person undertakes to secure another in the possession or enjoyment of something
  5. an assurance of the quality of or of the length of use to be expected from a product offered for sale often with a promise of reimbursement
  6. guaranty

guarantee -vt

  1. to undertake to answer for the debt, default, or miscarriage of
    • guarantee a loan
  2. to engage for the existence, permanence, or nature of : undertake to do or secure
    • guarantee the winning of three tricks
  3. to give security to
    • guaranteed her against loss
  4. to assert confidently
    • I guarantee you'll like it

guar·an·tor [,ger-ən-'tȯr, ,gär-, ,ga-rən-; 'gar-ən-tər, 'gär-, 'ga-rən-] -n

  1. one that gives a guaranty
  2. one that guarantees

guar·an·ty ['ger-ən-tē, 'gär-, 'ga-rən-] -n

  1. an undertaking to answer for the payment of a debt or the performance of a duty of another in case of the other's default or miscarriage
  2. guarantee
  3. guarantor
  4. something given as security : pledge
  5. the protection of a right afforded by legal provision (as in a constitution)

guaranty -vt

  1. guarantee

guard ['gärd] -n

  1. : one assigned to protect or oversee another: as
  2. a person or a body of persons on sentinel duty
  3. troops attached to the person of the sovereign
  4. conductor
  5. a defensive state or attitude
    • asked him out when his guard was down
  6. a defensive position (as in boxing)
  7. the act or duty of protecting or defending
  8. the state of being protected : protection
  9. a protective or safety device
  10. a device for protecting a machine part or the operator of a machine
  11. precaution
  12. a position or player next to the center in a football line
  13. a player stationed in the backcourt in basketball
  14. to protect an edge of with an ornamental border
  15. to protect from danger esp. by watchful attention : make secure
    • police guard ing our cities
  16. to stand at the entrance of as if on guard or as a barrier
  17. to tend to carefully : preserve, protect
    • guard ed their privacy
  18. escort
  19. to watch over so as to prevent escape, disclosure, or indiscretion
  20. to attempt to prevent (an opponent) from playing effectively or scoring
  21. to watch by way of caution or defense : stand guard

guar·dant ['gär-dᵊnt] -adj

  1. having the head turned toward the spectator used of a heraldic animal whose body is seen from the side
    • a lion passant guardant

guardant -n

  1. guardian

guard cell -n

  1. one of the two crescent-shaped epidermal cells that border and open and close a plant stoma

guard·ed ['gär-dəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. cautious, circumspect
  2. being an extremely serious condition with uncertain outcome
    • was in guarded condition after the crash

guard hair -n

  1. one of the usu. long coarse hairs forming a protective coating over the undercoat of a mammal

guard·house ['gärd-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a building occupied by a guard or used as a headquarters by soldiers on guard duty
  2. a military jail

guard·ian ['gär-dē-ən] -n

  1. one that guards : custodian
  2. a superior of a Franciscan monastery
  3. one who has the care of the person or property of another

guardian angel -n

  1. an angel believed to have special care of a particular individual
  2. savior , protector

guard of honor

  1. honor guard

guard·rail ['gärd-,rāl] -n

  1. a railing guarding usu. against danger
  2. a barrier placed along the edge of a highway at dangerous points

guard·room ['gärd-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a room occupied by a military guard during its term of duty
  2. a room where military prisoners are confined

guards·man ['gärdz-mən] -n

  1. a member of a military body called guardor guards

guar gum -n

  1. a gum obtained from the endosperm of guar seeds and used esp. as a thickening agent and as a sizing material for paper and textiles

Guar·ne·ri·us [gwär-'nir-ē-əs, -'ner-] -n

  1. a violin made by one of the Italian Guarneri family in the 17th and 18th centuries

gua·va ['gwä-və] -n

  1. any of several tropical American shrubs or small trees (genus Psidium) of the myrtle family
  2. a shrubby tree ( P. guajava) widely cultivated for its sweet acid yellow or pink fruit
  3. the roundish to pear-shaped fruit of a guava

gua·ya·bera [,gwī-ə-'ber-ə] -n

  1. a usu. short-sleeved lightweight sport shirt designed to be worn untucked

gua·yu·le [gwī-'ü-lē, wī-] -n

  1. a much-branched composite shrub ( Parthenium argentatum) of Mexico and the southwestern U.S. that has been cultivated as a source of rubber

gu·ber·na·to·ri·al [,gü-bə(r)-nə-'tȯr-ē-əl, ,gyü-, ,gu̇-] -adj

  1. of or relating to a governor

guck ['gək] -n

  1. oozy sloppy dirt or debris
  2. goo, gunk

gud·geon ['gə-jən] -n

  1. pivot , journal
  2. a socket for a rudder pintle

gudgeon -n

  1. a small European freshwater fish ( Gobio gobio) related to the carps and often used for food or bait

gudgeon pin -n

  1. wrist pin

Gud·run ['gu̇d-,rün] -n

  1. the wife of Sigurd and later of Atli in Norse mythology

guel·der rose ['gel-də(r)-] -n

  1. highbush cranberry
  2. a cultivated form of the cranberry bush with large roundish heads of sterile flowers

Guelf ['gwelf] -n

  1. a member of a papal and popular political party in medieval Italy that opposed the authority of the German emperors in Italy

gue·non ['gwe-nən, gə-'nōⁿ] -n

  1. any of various long-tailed chiefly arboreal African monkeys (esp. genera Cercopithecusand Erythrocebus)

guer·don ['gər-dᵊn] -n, vt

  1. reward, recompense

gue·ri·don [gā-rē-'dōⁿ] -n

  1. a small usu. ornately carved and embellished stand or table

Guern·sey ['gərn-zē] -n

  1. any of a breed of usu. reddish-brown and white dairy cattle that are larger than the Jersey and produce rich yellowish milk

guer·ril·la [gə-'ri-lə, ge-, g(y)i-] -n

  1. a person who engages in irregular warfare esp. as a member of an independent unit carrying out harassment and sabotage

guerrilla -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of guerrillas esp. in being aggressive, radical, or unconventional

guerrilla theater -n

  1. street theater

guess ['ges] -vb, adj, n

  1. to form an opinion of from little or no evidence
  2. believe, suppose
    • I guess you're right
  3. to arrive at a correct conclusion about by conjecture, chance, or intuition
    • guess the answer
  4. to make a guess
  5. conjecture, surmise

guess·ti·mate ['ges-tə-mət] -n, vt

  1. an estimate usu. made without adequate information

guess·work ['ges-,wərk] -n

  1. work performed or results obtained by guess : conjecture

guest ['gest] -n

  1. a person entertained in one's house
  2. a person to whom hospitality is extended
  3. a person who pays for the services of an establishment (as a hotel or restaurant)
  4. an organism (as an insect) sharing the dwelling of another
  5. inquiline
  6. a substance that is incorporated in a host substance
  7. a usu. prominent person not a regular member of a cast or organization who appears in a program or performance
  8. to receive as a guest
  9. to appear as a guest

guest·house ['gest-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a building used for guests (as on an estate)
  2. a house run as a boardinghouse or bed-and-breakfast

guest worker -n

  1. a foreign laborer working temporarily in an industrialized usu. European country

guff ['gəf] -n

  1. nonsense, humbug
  2. verbal abuse
    • doesn't take any guff

guf·faw [(,)gə-'fȯ, 'gə-,fȯ] -n, vi

  1. a loud or boisterous burst of laughter

gug·gle ['gə-gəl] -vi, n

  1. gurgle

GUI -abbr

  1. graphical user interface

guid·able ['gī-də-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being guided

guid·ance ['gī-dᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. the act or process of guiding
  2. the direction provided by a guide
  3. advice on vocational or educational problems given to students
  4. the process of controlling the course of a projectile by a built-in mechanism

guide ['gīd] -n

  1. one that leads or directs another's way
  2. a person who exhibits and explains points of interest
  3. something that provides a person with guiding information
  4. signpost
  5. a person who directs another's conduct or course of life
  6. a device for steadying or directing the motion of something
  7. a ring or loop for holding the line of a fishing rod in position
  8. a sheet or a card with projecting tab for labeling inserted in a card index to facilitate reference
  9. a member of a unit on whom the movements or alignments of a military command are regulated used esp. in commands
    • guide right
  10. to act as a guide to : direct in a way or course
  11. to direct, supervise, or influence usu. to a particular end
  12. to superintend the training or instruction of
  13. to act or work as a guide

guide·book ['gīd-,bu̇k] -n

  1. handbook
  2. a book of information for travelers

guided missile -n

  1. a missile whose course may be altered during flight (as by a target-seeking radar device)

guide dog -n

  1. a dog trained to lead the blind

guide·line ['gīd-,līn] -n

  1. : a line by which one is guided: as
  2. a cord or rope to aid a passer over a difficult point or to permit retracing a course
  3. an indication or outline of policy or conduct

guide·post [-,pōst] -n

  1. indication, sign
  2. guideline

guide·way [-,wā] -n

  1. a channel or track for controlling the line of motion of something

guide word -n

  1. either of the terms at the head of a page of an alphabetical reference work (as a dictionary) indicating the alphabetically first and last words on the page

gui·don ['gī-,dän, -dᵊn] -n

  1. a small flag
  2. one borne by a military unit as a unit marker
  3. one who carries a guidon

guid·will·ie [gœd-'wi-lē, gid-] -adj

  1. cordial, cheering

guild ['gild] -n

  1. an association of people with similar interests or pursuits
  2. a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen
  3. a group of organisms that use the same ecological resource in a similar way
    • a feeding guild

guil·der ['gil-dər] -n

  1. gulden

guild·hall ['gild-,hȯl] -n

  1. a hall where a guild or corporation usu. assembles

guilds·man ['gil(d)z-mən] -n

  1. a guild member
  2. an advocate of guild socialism

guild socialism -n

  1. an early 20th century English socialistic theory advocating state ownership of industry with control and management by guilds of workers

guile ['gī(-ə)l] -n, adj, adv

  1. deceitful cunning : duplicity
  2. stratagem, trick

guile·less ['gī(-ə)l-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. innocent, naive

Guil·lainBar·re syndrome [,gē-,lan-,bä-'rā-, ,gē-yaⁿ-] -n

  1. a polyneuritis of unknown cause characterized esp. by muscle weakness and paralysis

guil·le·met [,gē-(y)ə-'mā, ,gi-lə-'met] -n

  1. either of the marks or used as quotation marks in French writing

guil·le·mot ['gi-lə-,mät] -n

  1. a common murre ( Uria aalge)
  2. any of a genus ( Cepphus) of narrow-billed auks of northern seas

guil·loche [gi-'lōsh, gē-'(y)ōsh] -n

  1. an architectural ornament formed of two or more interlaced bands with openings containing round devices
  2. a pattern (as on metalwork) made by interlacing curved lines

guil·lo·tine ['gi-lə-,tēn; ,gē-(y)ə-', 'gē-(y)ə-,] -n, vt

  1. a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides
  2. a shearing machine or instrument (as a paper cutter) that in action resembles a guillotine
  3. closure by the imposition of a predetermined time limit on the consideration of specific sections of a bill or portions of other legislative business

guilt ['gilt] -n

  1. the fact of having committed a breach of conduct esp. violating law and involving a penalty
  2. guilty conduct
  3. the state of one who has committed an offense esp. consciously
  4. feelings of culpability esp. for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : self-reproach
  5. a feeling of culpability for offenses

guilt·less ['gilt-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. innocent

guilttrip ['gil(t)-,trip] -vt

  1. to cause feelings of guilt in
    • guilt-tripped them into helping

guilty ['gil-tē] -adj, adv, n

  1. justly chargeable with or responsible for a usu. grave breach of conduct or a crime
  2. justly liable to or deserving of a penalty
  3. suggesting or involving guilt
  4. aware of or suffering from guilt
    • guilty consciences

guilty pleasure -n

  1. something pleasurable that induces a usu. minor feeling of guilt

guimpe ['gamp, 'gimp] -n

  1. a blouse worn under a jumper or pinafore
  2. a wide cloth used by some nuns to cover the neck and shoulders
  3. gimp

guin·ea ['gi-nē] -n

  1. an English gold coin issued from 1663 to 1813 and fixed in 1717 at 21 shillings
  2. a unit of value equal to one pound and one shilling

guinea fowl -n

  1. an African bird ( Numida meleagris) related to the pheasants, raised for food in many parts of the world, and marked by a bare neck and head and slaty plumage speckled with white
  2. any of several related birds

guinea grass -n

  1. a tall African forage grass ( Panicum maximum) introduced into tropical America and the southern U.S.

guinea hen -n

  1. a female guinea fowl
  2. guinea fowl

guinea pepper -n

  1. grains of paradise

guinea pig -n

  1. a small stout-bodied short-eared tailless domesticated rodent ( Cavia porcellus) of So. American origin often kept as a pet and widely used in biological research called also cavy
  2. a subject of research, experimentation, or testing

guinea worm -n

  1. a slender nematode worm ( Dracunculus medinensis) of tropical regions that is parasitic in humans, has no known animal reservoir, and has an adult female that infests subcutaneous tissues and may attain a length of several feet

guinea worm disease -n

  1. dracunculiasis

Guin·e·vere ['gwi-nə-,vir, Brit also 'gi-] -n

  1. the wife of King Arthur and mistress of Lancelot

gui·pure [gi-'pyu̇r, -'pu̇r] -n

  1. a heavy large-patterned decorative lace

gui·ro ['wē-(,)rō, 'gwir-(,)ō] -n

  1. a percussion instrument of Latin-American origin made of a serrated gourd and played by scraping a stick along its surface

gui·sard ['gī-zərd] -n

  1. masker, mummer

guise ['gīz] -n

  1. a form or style of dress : costume
  2. manner, fashion
  3. a customary way of speaking or behaving
  4. external appearance : semblance
  5. pretext

gui·tar [gə-'tär, gi-, esp Southern & Midland also 'gi-,tär] -n

  1. a flat-bodied stringed instrument with a long fretted neck and usu. six strings played with a pick or with the fingers

gui·tar·fish [-,fish] -n

  1. any of several viviparous rays (family Rhinobatidae) somewhat like a guitar in shape viewed from above

Gu·ja·ra·ti [,gü-jə-'rä-tē, ,gu̇-] -n

  1. the Indo-Aryan language of Gujarat and neighboring regions in northwestern India
  2. a member of a people chiefly of Gujarat speaking the Gujarati language

gul ['gül] -n

  1. rose

gu·lag ['gü-,läg] -n

  1. the penal system of the U.S.S.R. consisting of a network of labor camps
  2. labor camp

gu·lar ['g(y)ü-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or situated on the throat

gulch ['gəlch] -n

  1. a deep or precipitous cleft : ravine
  2. one occupied by a torrent

gul·den ['gül-dən, 'gu̇l-] -n

  1. the basic monetary unit of the Netherlands until 2002
  2. the basic monetary unit of Suriname until 2004

gules ['gyülz] -n

  1. the heraldic color red

gulf ['gəlf] -n

  1. a part of an ocean or sea extending into the land
  2. a deep chasm : abyss
  3. whirlpool
  4. a wide gap
    • the gulf between generations
  5. engulf

Gulf War syndrome -n

  1. a syndrome of uncertain cause including fatigue, joint pain, memory loss, skin rash, and headache that has been reported in veterans of the war fought in the Persian Gulf in 1991

gulf·weed ['gəlf-,wēd] -n

  1. any of several sargassums
  2. a branching olive-brown seaweed ( Sargassum natans) of tropical American seas with numerous berrylike air vesicles

gull ['gəl] -n

  1. any of numerous long-winged web-footed aquatic birds (subfamily Larinae of the family Laridae)
  2. a usu. gray and white bird (esp. of the genus Larus) differing from a tern in usu. larger size, stouter build, thicker somewhat hooked bill, less pointed wings, and short unforked tail
  3. to take advantage of (one who is foolish or unwary) : deceive
  4. a person who is easily deceived or cheated : dupe

Gul·lah ['gə-lə] -n

  1. a member of a group of blacks inhabiting the sea islands and coastal districts of So. Carolina, Georgia, and northeastern Florida
  2. an English-based creole spoken by the Gullahs that is marked by vocabulary and grammatical elements from various African languages

gul·let ['gə-lət] -n

  1. esophagus
  2. throat
  3. an invagination of the protoplasm in various protozoans (as a paramecium) that sometimes functions in the intake of food
  4. the space between the tips of adjacent saw teeth

gull·ible ['gə-lə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. easily duped or cheated

Gul·li·ver ['gə-lə-vər] -n

  1. an Englishman in Jonathan Swift's satire Gulliver's Travelswho makes voyages to the imaginary lands of the Lilliputians, Brobdingnagians, Laputans, and Houyhnhnms

gul·ly ['gu̇-lē, 'gə-] -n

  1. a large knife
  2. a trench which was orig. worn in the earth by running water and through which water often runs after rains
  3. a small valley or gulch
  4. to make gullies in
  5. to undergo erosion : form gullies

gully erosion -n

  1. soil erosion produced by running water

gu·los·i·ty [g(y)ü-'lä-sə-tē] -n

  1. excessive appetite : greediness

gulp ['gəlp] -vb, n

  1. to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one swallow
  2. to keep back as if by swallowing
    • gulp down a sob
  3. to take in readily as if by swallowing
    • gulp down knowledge
  4. to catch the breath as if in taking a long drink

gum ['gəm] -n

  1. the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws
  2. the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues
  3. to enlarge gullets of (a saw)
  4. to chew with the gums
  5. any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids
  6. any of various plant exudates (as an oleoresin or gum resin)
  7. a substance or deposit resembling a plant gum (as in sticky or adhesive quality)
  8. a tree (as a black gum) that yields gum
  9. eucalyptus
  10. the wood or lumber of a gum
  11. that of the sweet gum
  12. chewing gum
  13. to clog, impede, or damage with or as if with gum
    • gum up the works
  14. to exude or form gum
  15. to become gummy

gum arabic -n

  1. a water-soluble gum obtained from several acacias (esp. Acacia senegal) and used esp. in the manufacture of inks, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and confections

gum·bo ['gəm-(,)bō] -n, adj

  1. a soup thickened with okra pods or file and containing meat or seafoods and usu. vegetables
  2. okra
  3. any of various fine-grained silty soils esp. of the central U.S. that when wet become impervious and soapy or waxy and very sticky
  4. a heavy sticky mud
  5. mixture, melange

gumbo -n

  1. creole

gum·boil ['gəm-,bȯi(-ə)l] -n

  1. an abscess in the gum

gum·bolim·bo [,gəm-bō-'lim-(,)bō] -n

  1. a tree ( Bursera simarubaof the family Burseraceae) of southern Florida and the American tropics that has a smooth coppery bark and supplies a reddish resin used locally in cements and varnishes

gum boot -n

  1. a rubber boot

gum·drop ['gəm-,dräp] -n

  1. a sugar-coated candy made usu. from corn syrup with gelatin or gum arabic

gum·ma ['gə-mə] -n, adj

  1. a tumor of gummy or rubbery consistency that is characteristic of the tertiary stage of syphilis

gum·mite ['gə-,mīt] -n

  1. a yellow to reddish-brown mixture of hydrous oxides of uranium, thorium, and lead

gum·mo·sis [,gə-'mō-səs] -n

  1. a pathological production of gummy exudate in a plant
  2. a plant disease marked by gummosis

gum·mous ['gə-məs] -adj

  1. resembling or composed of gum

gum·my ['gə-mē] -adj, n

  1. viscous, sticky
  2. consisting of or containing gum
  3. covered with gum

gump·tion ['gəm(p)-shən] -n

  1. common sense, horse sense
  2. enterprise, initiative
    • lacked the gumption to try

gum resin -n

  1. a product consisting essentially of a mixture of gum and resin usu. obtained by making an incision in a plant and allowing the juice which exudes to solidify

gum·shoe ['gəm-,shü] -n

  1. detective

gumshoe -vi

  1. to engage in detective work

gum tragacanth -n

  1. tragacanth

gum tree -n

  1. gum

gum turpentine -n

  1. turpentine

gum·wood ['gəm-,wu̇d] -n

  1. gum

gun ['gən] -n, adj

  1. a piece of ordnance usu. with high muzzle velocity and comparatively flat trajectory
  2. a portable firearm (as a rifle or handgun)
  3. a device that throws a projectile
  4. a discharge of a gun esp. as a salute or signal
  5. a signal marking a beginning or ending
  6. hunter
  7. gunman
  8. something suggesting a gun in shape or function
  9. throttle
  10. to fire on
  11. shoot
    • gunned down by a hit man
  12. to open up the throttle of so as to increase speed
    • gun the engine
  13. fire
    • gunned the ball to first base
  14. to hunt with a gun

gun·boat ['gən-,bōt] -n

  1. an armed ship of shallow draft

gunboat diplomacy -n

  1. diplomacy backed by the use or threat of military force

gun control -n

  1. regulation of the selling, owning, and use of guns

gun·cot·ton [-,kä-tᵊn] -n

  1. nitrocellulose
  2. an explosive highly nitrated product used chiefly in smokeless powder

gun·dog [-,dȯg] -n

  1. a dog trained to work with hunters by locating and retrieving game

gun·fight [-,fīt] -n

  1. a hostile encounter in which antagonists with guns shoot at each other

gun·fire [-,fī(-ə)r] -n

  1. the firing of guns

gun·flint [-,flint] -n

  1. a small sharp flint fashioned to ignite the priming in a flintlock

gung ho ['gəŋ-'hō] -adj

  1. extremely or overly zealous or enthusiastic

gun·ite ['gə-,nīt] -n

  1. a building material consisting of a mixture of cement, sand, and water that is sprayed onto a mold

gunk ['gəŋk] -n, adj

  1. filthy, sticky, or greasy matter

gun lap -n

  1. the final lap of a race in track signaled by the firing of a gun as the leader begins the lap

gun·man [-mən] -n

  1. a man armed with a gun
  2. a professional killer
  3. a man noted for speed or skill in handling a gun

gun·met·al ['gən-,me-tᵊl] -n

  1. a metal used for guns
  2. a bronze formerly much used as a material for cannon
  3. an alloy or metal treated to imitate nearly black tarnished copper-alloy gunmetal
  4. a bluish-gray color

gun moll [-,mäl, -,mȯl] -n

  1. moll

Gun·nar ['gu̇-,när, 'gü-, -nər] -n

  1. the king of the Nibelungs and husband of Brynhild in Norse mythology

gunnel ['gə-nᵊl] -n

(variant of gunwale)

  1. the upper edge of a ship's or boat's side

gun·ner ['gə-nər] -n

  1. a soldier or airman who operates or aims a gun
  2. one who hunts with a gun
  3. a warrant officer who supervises ordnance and ordnance stores

gun·nery ['gən-rē, 'gə-nə-] -n

  1. the use of guns
  2. the science of the flight of projectiles and of the effective use of guns

gunnery sergeant -n

  1. a noncommissioned officer in the marine corps ranking above a staff sergeant and below a master sergeant or first sergeant

gun·ny·sack ['gə-nē-,sak] -n

  1. a sack made of a coarse heavy fabric (as burlap)

gun·play ['gən-,plā] -n

  1. the shooting of small arms with intent to scare or kill

gun·point [-,pȯint] -n

  1. the muzzle of a gun

gun·pow·der [-,pau̇-dər] -n

  1. an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur used in gunnery and blasting
  2. any of various powders used in guns as propelling charges

gun room -n

  1. quarters on a British warship orig. used by the gunner and his mates but now by midshipmen and junior officers

gun·run·ner ['gən-,rə-nər] -n

  1. one that traffics in contraband arms and ammunition

gun·sel ['gən(t)-səl] -n

  1. gunman

gun·ship ['gən-,ship] -n

  1. a helicopter or cargo aircraft armed with rockets and machine guns

gun·shot ['gən-,shät] -n

  1. shot or a projectile fired from a gun
  2. the range of a gun
  3. the firing of a gun

gunshy [-,shī] -adj

  1. afraid of loud noise (as that of a gun)
  2. markedly distrustful, afraid, or cautious

gun·sling·er [-,sliŋ-ər] -n

  1. a person noted for speed and skill in handling and shooting a gun esp. in the American West

gun·sling·ing [-,sliŋ-iŋ] -n

  1. the shooting of a gun esp. in a gunfight

gun·smith [-,smith] -n

  1. one who designs, makes, or repairs small firearms

Gun·ter's chain ['gən-tərz-] -n

  1. a chain 66 feet (20.1 meters) long that is the unit of length for surveys of U.S. public lands

Gun·ther ['gu̇n-tər] -n

  1. a Burgundian king and husband of Brunhild in Germanic legend

gun·wale ['gə-nᵊl] -n

  1. the upper edge of a ship's or boat's side

gup·py ['gə-pē] -n

  1. a small bony fish ( Poecilia reticulataof the family Poeciliidae) esp. of Barbados, Trinidad, and Venezuela that is a live-bearer and is often kept as an aquarium fish

gur·gle ['gər-gəl] -vi, n

  1. to flow in a broken irregular current
    • the brook gurgling over the rocks
  2. to make a sound like that of a gurgling liquid
    • the baby gurgling in his crib

Gur·kha ['gu̇r-kə, 'gər-] -n

  1. a soldier from Nepal in the British or Indian army

gur·nard ['gər-nərd] -n

  1. sea robin

gur·ney ['gər-nē] -n

  1. a wheeled cot or stretcher

gur·ry ['gər-ē, 'gə-rē] -n

  1. fishing offal

gu·ru ['gu̇r-(,)ü, 'gü-(,)rü also gə-'rü] -n

  1. a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism
  2. a teacher and esp. intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern
  3. one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent
  4. a person with knowledge or expertise : expert

gush ['gəsh] -vb, adv

  1. to issue copiously or violently
  2. to emit a sudden copious flow
  3. to make an effusive display of affection or enthusiasm
    • an aunt gush ing over the baby
  4. to emit in a copious free flow
  5. to say or write effusively
  6. a sudden outpouring
  7. something emitted in a gushing forth
  8. an effusive display or outpouring

gush·er ['gə-shər] -n

  1. one that gushes
  2. an oil well with a copious natural flow

gushy ['gə-shē] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by effusive sentimentality

gus·set ['gə-sət] -n, vt

  1. a usu. diamond-shaped or triangular insert in a seam (as of a sleeve, pocketbook, or shoe upper) to provide expansion or reinforcement
  2. a plate or bracket for strengthening an angle in framework (as in a building or bridge)

gus·sy up ['gə-sē-'əp] -vt

  1. dress up, embellish

gust ['gəst] -n

  1. the sensation of taste
  2. inclination, liking
  3. keen delight
  4. a sudden brief rush of wind
  5. a sudden outburst : surge
    • a gust of emotion
  6. to blow in gusts
    • winds gust ing up to 40 mph

gus·ta·tion [,gəs-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the act or sensation of tasting

gus·ta·to·ry ['gəs-tə-,tȯr-ē] -adj, adv

  1. relating to or associated with eating or the sense of taste

gus·to ['gəs-(,)tō] -n

  1. an individual or special taste
    • different gusto es
  2. enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation
  3. vitality marked by an abundance of vigor and enthusiasm
  4. artistic style

gut ['gət] -n

  1. bowels, entrails usu. used in pl.
  2. the basic visceral or emotional part of a person
  3. alimentary canal
  4. part of the alimentary canal and esp. the intestine or stomach
  5. belly, abdomen
  6. catgut
  7. the inner essential parts
    • the gut s of a car
  8. a narrow passage
  9. a narrow waterway or small creek
  10. the sac of silk taken from a silkworm ready to spin its cocoon and drawn out into a thread for use as a snell
  11. fortitude and stamina in coping with what alarms, repels, or discourages : courage, pluck
  12. gut course
  13. eviscerate
  14. to extract all the essential passages or portions from
  15. to destroy the inside of
    • fire gutted the building
  16. to destroy the essential power or effectiveness of
    • inflation gutting the economy
  17. arising from one's inmost self : visceral
    • a gut reaction
  18. having strong impact or immediate relevance
    • gut issues

GUT -abbr

  1. grand unified theory; grand unification theory

gut·buck·et ['gət-,bə-kət] -n

  1. barrelhouse
  2. a homemade bass fiddle consisting of a stick attached to an inverted washtub and having a single string

gut check -n

  1. a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination

gut course -n

  1. a course (as in college) that is easily passed

gut·less ['gət-ləs] -adj, n

  1. lacking courage : cowardly
  2. lacking significance or vitality

gutsy ['gət-sē] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by courage, pluck, or determination
    • a gutsy little fighter
    • a gutsy decision
  2. expressing or characterized by basic physical senses or passions
    • gutsy macho talk
    • gutsy country blues
  3. rough or plain in style : not bland or sophisticated
    • a gutsy soup

gut·ta ['gə-tə, 'gu̇-tə] -n

  1. one of a series of ornaments in the Doric entablature that is usu. in the form of a frustum of a cone

gut·taper·cha [,gə-tə-'pər-chə] -n

  1. a tough plastic substance from the latex of several Malaysian trees (genera Payenaand Palaquium) of the sapodilla family that resembles rubber but contains more resin and is used esp. as insulation and in dentistry in temporary fillings

gut·ta·tion [,gə-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the exudation of liquid water from the uninjured surface of a plant leaf

gut·ter ['gə-tər] -n

  1. a trough along the eaves to catch and carry off rainwater
  2. a low area (as at the edge of a street) to carry off surface water (as to a sewer)
  3. a trough or groove to catch and direct something
    • the gutter s of a bowling alley
  4. a white space formed by the adjoining inside margins of two facing pages (as of a book)
  5. the lowest or most vulgar level or condition of human life

gutter -vt

  1. to cut or wear gutters in
  2. to provide with a gutter
  3. to flow in rivulets
  4. to melt away through a channel out of the side of the cup hollowed out by the burning wick
  5. to incline downward in a draft
    • the candle flame gutter ing
  6. of, relating to, or characteristic of the gutter
  7. marked by extreme vulgarity, cheapness, or indecency
    • gutter politics

gut·ter·ing [-iŋ] -n

  1. material for gutters
  2. gutter

gutter out -vi

  1. to become gradually weaker and then go out
    • the candle guttered out
  2. to end feebly or undramatically
    • his screen career had slowly guttered out

gut·ter·snipe ['gə-tər-,snīp] -n, adj

  1. a homeless vagabond and esp. an outcast boy or girl in the streets of a city
  2. a person of the lowest moral or economic station

gut·tur·al ['gə-tə-rəl, 'gə-trəl] -adj, n

  1. articulated in the throat
    • guttural sounds
  2. velar
  3. being or marked by utterance that is strange, unpleasant, or disagreeable

gut·ty ['gə-tē] -adj

  1. gutsy
    • a gutty quarterback
  2. having a vigorous challenging quality
    • gutty realism

gutwrench·ing ['gət-,ren-chiŋ] -adj

  1. causing mental or emotional anguish

guy ['gī] -n

  1. a rope, chain, rod, or wire attached to something as a brace or guide called also guyline
  2. to steady or reinforce with a guy
  3. a grotesque effigy of Guy Fawkes traditionally displayed and burned in England on Guy Fawkes Day
  4. a person of grotesque appearance
  5. man, fellow
  6. person used in pl. to refer to the members of a group regardless of sex
    • saw her and the rest of the guy s
  7. individual, creature
    • the other dogs pale in companion to this little guy
  8. to make fun of : ridicule

Guy Fawkes Day ['gī-'fȯks-] -n

  1. November 5 observed in England in commemoration of the seizure of Guy Fawkes in 1605 for an attempt to blow up the houses of parliament

guy·ot ['gē-(,)ō] -n

  1. a flat-topped seamount

guz·zle ['gə-zəl] -vb, n

  1. to drink esp. liquor greedily, continually, or habitually
  2. to drink greedily or habitually
    • guzzle beer
  3. consume, use up
    • devices that guzzle electricity