A gut feeling is intuition: a sense that you're right even though you have no proof. Gut means stomach or insides, and the image is of knowing something deep inside you rather than in your head. The advice to follow your intuition is shorter, without feeling: trust your gut or go with your gut.
When would you say gut feeling?
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have a gut feeling (that) + clause; my gut feeling is (that)…; a bad gut feeling about + noun; trust/go with your gut
- I had a gut feeling that the flat was too cheap, and I was right.
- My gut feeling is that the new manager won't stay long.
- I couldn't explain it, but I had a bad gut feeling about the deal.
What changed
First versionI had a gut feeling, that something was wrong with the car.
RevisionI had a gut feeling that something was wrong with the car.
When that introduces a clause after a noun like feeling, there's no comma before it: I had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The only change was removing the comma.
A gut reaction is your first, instant response, before you've had time to think: My gut reaction was to say no. A gut feeling can last a long time: you might hesitate over a deal for a week while your instinct keeps telling you something is wrong with it.
Your turn
I can't prove it, but I have a gut ___ that he's hiding something.
Show the answer
feeling — The fixed phrase is gut feeling. Sensation can look like a synonym, but a gut sensation describes a physical feeling in your stomach, not a hunch about a person.
Describe a time you trusted your instinct. Say what decision you made and whether you were right.
I had a gut feeling that the second candidate was more honest, so I hired her, and I was right.
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