What does "gutter" mean?
A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
Gutter
/ˈɡʌt.ɚ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
- Grammar: gutter is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: trough, aqueduct, beat, beneath one.
- Useful contrasts: burn steadily, highbrow discourse, polished language.
- Usage evidence: On May 18, a young Japanese couple was arrested after their one-year-old baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag and dumped in a gutter.
How to use "gutter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gutter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gutter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gutter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gutter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gutter" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "trough" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gutter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
"They a not so clean as they might be, since the water [is] carried off by only one gutter, in the centre of t[he] street"
- 2 One who or that which guts.
"A Galilean Rabbi? When did this Province of diggers in dirt and gutters of fish send forth Rabbis? Thou makest a jest."
- 3 a channel along the eaves or on the roof; collects and carries away rainwater wordnet
- 4 A ditch along the side of a road.
"In nearly all of the towns the gutters are filled with vegetation, or have been neglected for so long a time that the roadway becomes its own drainage bed."
- 5 a tool for gutting fish wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 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."
- 7 a worker who guts things (fish or buildings or cars etc.) wordnet
- 8 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."
- 9 misfortune resulting in lost effort or money wordnet
- 10 A large groove (commonly behind animals) in a barn used for the collection and removal of animal excrement.
- 11 Any narrow channel or groove, such as one formed by erosion in the vent of a gun from repeated firing.
- 12 A space between printed columns of text.
- 13 One of a number of pieces of wood or metal, grooved in the centre, used to separate the pages of type in a form.
- 14 An unprinted space between rows of stamps.
- 15 A drainage channel. British
- 16 The notional locus of things, acts, or events that are distasteful, ill-bred, or morally questionable.
"Nosei (Löwensohn): This is Tom and Cynthia Kruger. / Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeffrey Wright): I heard. / Nosei: This is Jean-Michel Basquiat. / Tom Kruger (Chuck Pfeiffer): Hi. / Nosei: You've seen the SAMO graffiti everywhere – that's his. This is the true voice of the gutter."
- 17 A low, vulgar state. figuratively
"Get your mind out of the gutter."
- 18 A space between comic strip panels.
Verb
- 1 To flow or stream; to form gutters.
- 2 provide with gutters wordnet
- 3 To melt away by having the molten wax run down along the side of the candle.
- 4 wear or cut gutters into wordnet
- 5 To flicker as if about to be extinguished.
"The light in his eyes guttered like a candle in a mighty wind and finally went out. She had no time to grieve[…]"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 flow in small streams wordnet
- 7 To send (a bowling ball) into the gutter, not hitting any pins. transitive
- 8 burn unsteadily, feebly, or low; flicker wordnet
- 9 To supply with a gutter or gutters. transitive
"A narrow flooring, guttered, walled, and tiled."
- 10 To cut or form into small longitudinal hollows; to channel. transitive
"The gutter'd-Rockes, and Congregated Sands,"
- 11 To worsen considerably. intransitive, uncommon
"The students' performance guttered after the school event."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"On May 18, a young Japanese couple was arrested after their one-year-old baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag and dumped in a gutter."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gutter"?
Common synonyms include: trough, aqueduct, beat, beneath one, bicker, bowling gutter.
How do you use "gutter" in a sentence?
On May 18, a young Japanese couple was arrested after their one-year-old baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag and dumped in a gutter.
How do you pronounce "gutter"?
Pronounced /ˈɡʌt.ɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).
Etymology 2
From gut + -er.