How to Use gumption in a Sentence

gumption

noun
  • It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that.
  • That takes a lot of gumption and nerves of steel.
    — Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
  • But with enough pluck and gumption, plus money and genius, it can be done.
    — Joel Achenbach, Washington Post, 19 June 2019
  • With Earp gone, there was no one with the heart or gumption to pursue charges against him.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 June 2021
  • For Le, putting her hand up for pre-selection took a lot of gumption.
    — Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 17 Sep. 2021
  • Older pitchers learn to get by with junk, gumption and maybe a little bit of pine tar.
    — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 9 Apr. 2021
  • Miller is ready to show culinary skills laced with Houston gumption.
    — Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle, 3 July 2018
  • The cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity, and the gumption.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2021
  • The result is music that shows a surprising amount of gumption, if not much else.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Whoever makes that roll of the dice should have a clear vision of the road ahead, and the gumption to see it through.
    — Michael Powell, New York Times, 27 June 2018
  • Last fall, after months of attacks, the movie industry showed a rare bit of gumption.
    — Aatish Taseer, The Atlantic, 10 June 2021
  • That Frk doesn’t lose his gumption for shooting concerns the Wings.
    — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, 8 Jan. 2018
  • What they’re made of, we were thrillingly reminded, is a potent mix of grit and gumption.
    — Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2020
  • Maddie is a feral woman with a lot of gumption, who is a fighter and a survivor.
    — Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Some of the songs are about making things happen and having self-esteem and enough pride and gumption to go for it.
    — August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
  • Michael Kirby said his father was impressed with this girl who had the gumption to play on a team of boys.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 22 July 2022
  • Blame him for not having the gumption to stick it out and to referee the disputes more adeptly.
    — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com, 8 Dec. 2017
  • But to those who had followed her career, her gumption in Vietnam was nothing new.
    — Emily Langer, Washington Post, 10 May 2017
  • Angela has that marvelous gumption, and that's one of the nice things that Jessica has.
    — Julie Tremaine, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2024
  • By far, Houston has displayed the most gumption in that division.
    — USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2017
  • Alice and Leo also show the kind of gumption that suggests spycraft runs in the bloodline.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Gather your gumption to get through this — and remember that there’s a brilliant life waiting for you on the other side.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2024
  • Is there interest and budgeting gumption to lure the ageless bat of Cruz?
    — Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2022
  • Some even had the gumption to invite foreign help to come to Hong Kong while the gates to the city were largely locked.
    — Karen Chu, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2023
  • And the only people with the integrity, gumption and sleuthing skills to save it are Mitch and his lifeguards.
    — A. O. Scott, New York Times, 24 May 2017
  • Even with all the gumption in the world, the eponymous Elbow Grease does not win his climactic race.
    — Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Or, rather, how many players in Murillo’s position would ever have the wit and gumption to try to pull it off?
    — Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Ellen is Team Colum, and that endorsement gives him enough gumption to ask his brother to kindly yield.
    — Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • This guy’s all wide-eyed gumption and smirking confidence — not the cynic who gets a crash course in the Force later in life.
    — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 15 May 2018
  • But the belief that anyone with enough gumption and grit can clamber to the top remains central to the nation’s self-image.
    — Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 4 July 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gumption.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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