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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

gutter.

A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɡʌt.ə/UK/ˈɡʌt.ɚ/Canada, US[ˈɡʌɾ.ɚ]Canada, US/ˈɡat.ə/Australia
  1. A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.

  2. A ditch along the side of a road.

  3. A duct or channel beneath the eaves of a building to carry rain water; eavestrough.

    The gutters must be cleared of leaves a few times a year.
  4. A groove down the sides of a bowling lane.

    You can decide to use the bumpers to avoid the ball going down the gutter every time.
  5. A large groove (commonly behind animals) in a barn used for the collection and removal of animal excrement.

  6. Any narrow channel or groove, such as one formed by erosion in the vent of a gun from repeated firing.

  7. A space between printed columns of text.

  8. One of a number of pieces of wood or metal, grooved in the centre, used to separate the pages of type in a form.

  9. An unprinted space between rows of stamps.

  10. A drainage channel.

    UK
  11. The notional locus of things, acts, or events that are distasteful, ill-bred, or morally questionable.

  12. A low, vulgar state.

    figuratively
    Get your mind out of the gutter.
    What kind of gutter language is that? I ought to wash your mouth out with soap.
  13. A space between comic strip panels.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).

verb/ˈɡʌt.ə/UK/ˈɡʌt.ɚ/Canada, US[ˈɡʌɾ.ɚ]Canada, US/ˈɡat.ə/Australia
  1. To flow or stream; to form gutters.

  2. To melt away by having the molten wax run down along the side of the candle.

  3. To flicker as if about to be extinguished.

  4. To send (a bowling ball) into the gutter, not hitting any pins.

    transitive
  5. To supply with a gutter or gutters.

    transitive
  6. To cut or form into small longitudinal hollows; to channel.

    transitive
  7. To worsen considerably.

    intransitive · uncommon
    The students' performance guttered after the school event.
    The patient's state would soon gutter.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).

adj/ˈɡʌt.ə/UK/ˈɡʌt.ɚ/Canada, US[ˈɡʌɾ.ɚ]Canada, US/ˈɡat.ə/Australia
  1. Vulgar, sordid, or low-class.

    derogatory · figuratively · informal
Where this word comes from

From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).

noun/ˈɡʌt.ə/UK/ˈɡʌt.ɚ/Canada, US[ˈɡʌɾ.ɚ]Canada, US/ˈɡat.ə/Australia
  1. One who or that which guts.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree English gut Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English gutter From gut + -er.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.