gutter

1 of 3

noun

gut·​ter ˈgə-tər 

1

a

: a trough along the eaves to catch and carry off rainwater

b

: a low area (as at the edge of a street) to carry off surface water (as to a sewer)

c

: a trough or groove to catch and direct something

the gutters of a bowling alley

2

: a white space formed by the adjoining inside margins of two facing pages (as of a book)

3

: the lowest or most vulgar level or condition of human life

gutter

2 of 3

verb

guttered; guttering; gutters

transitive verb

1

: to cut or wear gutters in

2

: to provide with a gutter

intransitive verb

1

a

: to flow in rivulets

b

of a candle : to melt away through a channel out of the side of the cup hollowed out by the burning wick

2

: to incline downward in a draft

the candle flame guttering

gutter

3 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the gutter

especially : marked by extreme vulgarity, cheapness, or indecency

gutter politics

Synonyms

Noun

• drainpipe
• eaves trough
• rainspout
• spout
• trough
• waterspout

Adjective

• bawdy
• blue
• coarse
• crude
• dirty
• filthy
• foul
• gross
• impure
• indecent
• lascivious
• lewd
• locker-room
• nasty
• obscene
• pornographic
• porny
• profane
• raunchy
• ribald
• smutty
• stag
• trashy
• unprintable
• vulgar
• wanton
• X-rated

Examples of gutter in a Sentence

Noun

one of his chores is to clean leaves and sticks out of the gutters before winter sets in

rainwater running off the road into the gutters

Adjective

a novel that does a good job of rendering the gutter language of that stratum of society

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Villa amenities include mowing and lawn care, snow removal, roof and gutter repair and replacement, exterior paint, and landscape maintenance. —Weichert Realtors® Welch & Company, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2024

Experts recommend emptying out any standing water in rain gutters, buckets, planters or any other area that can hold water for more than a week. —Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024

Verb

The restaurant was unexceptional — plastic chairs, coarse tablecloths, low guttering candles — and perfect. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023

Advertisement :: Clouds of incense, guttering candles: Inside Lviv’s garrison church, singer Vasyl Hnypyuk’s high baritone rose and fell in cadence, supplementing the chanting of presiding priests. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English goter, from Anglo-French gutere, goter, from gute drop, from Latin gutta

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gutter

• gutter out
• gutter press
• the gutter

Kids Definition

gutter

1 of 2 noun

gut·​ter ˈgət-ər 

1

a

: a trough along the eaves of a house to catch and carry off water

b

: a low area (as at a roadside) to carry off surface water

2

: a narrow channel or groove

gutter

2 of 2 verb

1

: to form gutters in

2

a

: to flow in small streams

b

: to melt away by having wax stream down in channels

a guttering candle

3

: to flicker in a draft

Medical Definition

gutter

noun

gut·​ter ˈgət-ər 

: a depressed furrow between body parts (as on the surface between a pair of adjacent ribs or in the dorsal wall of the body cavity on either side of the spinal column)