gut check
noun
: a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Billerica received a gut check early in Friday’s Division 2 boys’ lacrosse second-round matchup against visiting Nauset. 
Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2022 By the time Putin invaded Ukraine, reporters and editors at Novaya Gazeta had already held a serious talk about how the paper would act if a war broke out and the difficulties of wartime conditions — a gut check on who was ready and who wasn’t. Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2022 But Andrew Bailey, his counterpart at the Bank of England, gave investors a gut check on Thursday. Julia Horowitz, CNN, 6 May 2022 If the response still doesn’t sound right, get in touch with a wildlife-conservation organization for a gut check. Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 3 May 2022 Cook’s half-court heave at the buzzer sailed high off the backboard, and Auburn survived another gut check on the road. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 5 Feb. 2022 This is a gut check spot, and the Chiefs are the AFC's best for a reason. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2021 Although the Bulls managed a comfortable win with their big fourth quarter, Donovan said the game offered a gut check in his team’s physicality defending at the rim. Julia Poe, chicagotribune.com, 12 Feb. 2022 So, for a team that has their eyes on the top of the conference, that has 11 19- and 20-year-olds, this game represents a pretty significant gut check. Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 24 Nov. 2021 See More
Nate Weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2022 By the time Putin invaded Ukraine, reporters and editors at Novaya Gazeta had already held a serious talk about how the paper would act if a war broke out and the difficulties of wartime conditions — a gut check on who was ready and who wasn’t. Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2022 But Andrew Bailey, his counterpart at the Bank of England, gave investors a gut check on Thursday. Julia Horowitz, CNN, 6 May 2022 If the response still doesn’t sound right, get in touch with a wildlife-conservation organization for a gut check. Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 3 May 2022 Cook’s half-court heave at the buzzer sailed high off the backboard, and Auburn survived another gut check on the road. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 5 Feb. 2022 This is a gut check spot, and the Chiefs are the AFC's best for a reason. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 25 Oct. 2021 Although the Bulls managed a comfortable win with their big fourth quarter, Donovan said the game offered a gut check in his team’s physicality defending at the rim. Julia Poe, chicagotribune.com, 12 Feb. 2022 So, for a team that has their eyes on the top of the conference, that has 11 19- and 20-year-olds, this game represents a pretty significant gut check. Dylan Bumbarger, oregonlive, 24 Nov. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1963, in the meaning defined above