gut up
C1 informal inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To be brave and do something scary or hard even when you feel like running away.
Literal meaning: To bring one's guts (courage) upward; to summon bravery from within.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To gather one's courage and face a difficult or frightening situation decisively.
"You need to gut up and tell your boss that the project is behind schedule."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Informal and relatively rare. Similar in meaning to 'man up' but less gender-loaded. Used mostly in North American casual speech. Often used as a direct command or encouragement.
Commonly used with
challenge moment confrontation fear test situation
Forms
Base
gut up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
guts up
he/she/it
Past simple
guted up
yesterday
Past participle
guted up
have + pp
-ing form
guting up
continuous
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