Gist
noun
The main point or essential part of a matter.
He grumbled something about not getting the gist of it
Often appears as...
- get the gist
- miss the gist
noun
The ground of a legal action.
The gist of the plaintiff's complaint was that the defendant failed to deliver the goods
Often appears as...
- legal gist
- foundation of gist
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
noun
The main point or essential part of a matter.
He grumbled something about not getting the gist of it
Often appears as...
- get the gist
- miss the gist
noun
The ground of a legal action.
The gist of the plaintiff's complaint was that the defendant failed to deliver the goods
Often appears as...
- legal gist
- foundation of gist
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Quick Understanding
Use 'gist' when you understand something quickly without detail.
After skimming the article, I got the gist of it.
Pro Tip 2/3Casual Conversations
'Gist' is more casual; perfect for everyday talk.
She told me the gist of the story on our walk.
Pro Tip 3/3Context Clues
To infer the 'gist', use clues from the whole conversation or text.
Even with the noise, I caught the gist of his speech.
Pro Tip 1/3Quick Understanding
Use 'gist' when you understand something quickly without detail.
After skimming the article, I got the gist of it.
Pro Tip 2/3Casual Conversations
'Gist' is more casual; perfect for everyday talk.
She told me the gist of the story on our walk.
Pro Tip 3/3Context Clues
To infer the 'gist', use clues from the whole conversation or text.
Even with the noise, I caught the gist of his speech.
Pro Tip 1/3Quick Understanding
Use 'gist' when you understand something quickly without detail.
After skimming the article, I got the gist of it.
Pro Tip 2/3Casual Conversations
'Gist' is more casual; perfect for everyday talk.
She told me the gist of the story on our walk.
Pro Tip 3/3Context Clues
To infer the 'gist', use clues from the whole conversation or text.
Even with the noise, I caught the gist of his speech.
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Video examples
Gaming for understanding...
quickly obviously and so the basic gist of it is I grabbed a bunch of family since she's like mommy but you forgot the pink baby and you forgot the blue daddy and you forgot all these other things and she says they want to go and I said honey no they don't want to go this is the Middle Passage nobody wants to go in the Middle Passage so she gave
Video examples
Brenda Romero: Gaming...
and I tell her to paint them in different families. These are pictures of Maezza when she was -- God, it still chokes me up seeing these. So she's painting her little families. So then I grab a bunch of them and I put them on a boat. This was the boat, it was made quickly, obviously. And so the basic gist of it is, I grabbed a bunch of families,
Video examples
This could be why you're...
but that is the gist of what he said. But weirdly, hardy anyone had scientifically investigated this, until a truly extraordinary person I got to know, named professor Tim Kasser, who's at Knox College in Illinois, and he's been researching this for about 30 years now. And his research suggests several really important things.
Video examples
The secret to desire in...
you get the gist. For journey, for travel. So reconciling our need for security and our need for adventure into one relationship, or what we today like to call a passionate marriage, used to be a contradiction in terms. Marriage was an economic institution
Video examples
David Pogue: Cool new...
So a couple minutes later, this I got by email. It's a very good transcription. But a couple minutes after that, I got the text message version. Now remember, a text message can only be 160 characters long. So it had better be the gist of the gist, right?
Video examples
Why we make bad...
but it captures the gist of what Bernoulli had to say -- was The expected value of any of our actions -- that is, the goodness that we can count on getting -- is the product of two simple the odds that this action will allow us to gain something,
Video examples
How can sculptures save...
says hello the gist of the conversation our house is a mess the living rooms a disaster from dynamite fishing and deep-sea trawling and my coral kitchen Gardens bleaching and dying from climate change pollution and disease corals are not only
Video examples
Putting a Species on the...
let's do something about it I opened my phone my private phone number to the whole country I said like please call me if you want to register to tell me you have a crane so many people have been calling me voluntary we have the gist at
Video examples
Don't fear intelligent...
towards more useful intelligence. Human plus machine isn't the future, it's the present. Everybody that's used online translation to get the gist of a news article from a foreign newspaper, knowing its far from perfect.
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 7 PIPE...
very deep indentations in his skull the length the Tufts are controlled by the genes but you can generally get a gist of how old they are as well through
Video examples
Gaming for understanding...
quickly obviously and so the basic gist of it is I grabbed a bunch of family since she's like mommy but you forgot the pink baby and you forgot the blue daddy and you forgot all these other things and she says they want to go and I said honey no they don't want to go this is the Middle Passage nobody wants to go in the Middle Passage so she gave
Video examples
Brenda Romero: Gaming...
and I tell her to paint them in different families. These are pictures of Maezza when she was -- God, it still chokes me up seeing these. So she's painting her little families. So then I grab a bunch of them and I put them on a boat. This was the boat, it was made quickly, obviously. And so the basic gist of it is, I grabbed a bunch of families,
Video examples
This could be why you're...
but that is the gist of what he said. But weirdly, hardy anyone had scientifically investigated this, until a truly extraordinary person I got to know, named professor Tim Kasser, who's at Knox College in Illinois, and he's been researching this for about 30 years now. And his research suggests several really important things.
Video examples
The secret to desire in...
you get the gist. For journey, for travel. So reconciling our need for security and our need for adventure into one relationship, or what we today like to call a passionate marriage, used to be a contradiction in terms. Marriage was an economic institution
Video examples
David Pogue: Cool new...
So a couple minutes later, this I got by email. It's a very good transcription. But a couple minutes after that, I got the text message version. Now remember, a text message can only be 160 characters long. So it had better be the gist of the gist, right?
Video examples
Why we make bad...
but it captures the gist of what Bernoulli had to say -- was The expected value of any of our actions -- that is, the goodness that we can count on getting -- is the product of two simple the odds that this action will allow us to gain something,
Video examples
How can sculptures save...
says hello the gist of the conversation our house is a mess the living rooms a disaster from dynamite fishing and deep-sea trawling and my coral kitchen Gardens bleaching and dying from climate change pollution and disease corals are not only
Video examples
Putting a Species on the...
let's do something about it I opened my phone my private phone number to the whole country I said like please call me if you want to register to tell me you have a crane so many people have been calling me voluntary we have the gist at
Video examples
Don't fear intelligent...
towards more useful intelligence. Human plus machine isn't the future, it's the present. Everybody that's used online translation to get the gist of a news article from a foreign newspaper, knowing its far from perfect.
Video examples
Safari Live - Day 7 PIPE...
very deep indentations in his skull the length the Tufts are controlled by the genes but you can generally get a gist of how old they are as well through
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Samoa Joe
American Wrestler
Intimidation is an unusual animal: it's a lot about body language and understanding the human psyche. Knowing that usually a direct stare will crush most human souls, and that's just the basic gist of it... The soul-crushing stare, the fatherly disappointment, mixed with a little bit of hate and rage - you're on your way.
Quote examples
Lisa Hanawalt
American Artist
I value multi-layered artwork that warrants a second glance, so I try my best to achieve that with my own work. If something is solely pretty or solely disgusting, you look at it once and get the gist and move on. If it's a mix of both, it's potentially more interesting.
Quote examples
Morgan Saylor
American Actress
I know it sounds silly, but in auditions for film or TV, the words aren't as important - you need to get into the character and have the gist of the scene. But in theater, if you don't do it word for word, then you throw off your scene partner.
Quote examples
Leona Lewis
British Musician
I can't remember who told me but I was advised early on not to Google myself or read things about myself... I don't read a lot but get the gist of what's been said from friends and family. It's good to avoid it if you want to be normal person.
Quote examples
Matthew Walker
English Scientist
As you try to tweak your sleep one way or the other, you might be, you might be doing great - you might do better at remembering details of an event, but you might end up being poorer at abstracting the gist or the rules associated with it.
Quote examples
Ralph Fiennes
British Actor
I think Shakespeare is like a dialect. If I heard a broad Scots accent, I'd probably struggle at first but then I'd start to look for words I recognise and I'd get the gist. I think Shakespeare is like that.
Quote examples
Ann Reinking
American Actress
The whole gist of 'All That Jazz' is Faustian. It's about a man who sells his soul to show business - which Bob didn't do. He understood the dangers of glamour and falling into that kind of life.
Quote examples
Steven Spielberg
American Director
I always think if it's a good story, the audience can't wait to run out of the theater and go tweet somebody with the gist of a story, in a nutshell, almost, because it was that interesting.
Quote examples
Gail Simmons
Canadian Entertainer
There are days when I literally have to eat 17 plates of food - it's intense. It's about moderation. You just need a few bites to get the gist of a dish.
Quote examples
Helena Bonham Carter
British Actress
I personally never got the gist of Facebook and Twitter.
Quote examples
Samoa Joe
American Wrestler
Intimidation is an unusual animal: it's a lot about body language and understanding the human psyche. Knowing that usually a direct stare will crush most human souls, and that's just the basic gist of it... The soul-crushing stare, the fatherly disappointment, mixed with a little bit of hate and rage - you're on your way.
Quote examples
Lisa Hanawalt
American Artist
I value multi-layered artwork that warrants a second glance, so I try my best to achieve that with my own work. If something is solely pretty or solely disgusting, you look at it once and get the gist and move on. If it's a mix of both, it's potentially more interesting.
Quote examples
Morgan Saylor
American Actress
I know it sounds silly, but in auditions for film or TV, the words aren't as important - you need to get into the character and have the gist of the scene. But in theater, if you don't do it word for word, then you throw off your scene partner.
Quote examples
Leona Lewis
British Musician
I can't remember who told me but I was advised early on not to Google myself or read things about myself... I don't read a lot but get the gist of what's been said from friends and family. It's good to avoid it if you want to be normal person.
Quote examples
Matthew Walker
English Scientist
As you try to tweak your sleep one way or the other, you might be, you might be doing great - you might do better at remembering details of an event, but you might end up being poorer at abstracting the gist or the rules associated with it.
Quote examples
Ralph Fiennes
British Actor
I think Shakespeare is like a dialect. If I heard a broad Scots accent, I'd probably struggle at first but then I'd start to look for words I recognise and I'd get the gist. I think Shakespeare is like that.
Quote examples
Ann Reinking
American Actress
The whole gist of 'All That Jazz' is Faustian. It's about a man who sells his soul to show business - which Bob didn't do. He understood the dangers of glamour and falling into that kind of life.
Quote examples
Steven Spielberg
American Director
I always think if it's a good story, the audience can't wait to run out of the theater and go tweet somebody with the gist of a story, in a nutshell, almost, because it was that interesting.
Quote examples
Gail Simmons
Canadian Entertainer
There are days when I literally have to eat 17 plates of food - it's intense. It's about moderation. You just need a few bites to get the gist of a dish.
Quote examples
Helena Bonham Carter
British Actress
I personally never got the gist of Facebook and Twitter.
Example 1 of 10
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