noun

gutter

GUHT-uh

noun

A channel along the edge of a road or roof that carries away rainwater.

"Leaves had clogged the gutter, so water was spilling over the edge of the roof."

"The car splashed through a puddle in the gutter as it passed."

A morally low or degrading state or environment.

"He claimed the tabloid had dragged the whole story into the gutter."

verb

(of a candle flame) To flicker unsteadily as it burns down, as if about to go out.

"The candle guttered in the draught before finally dying out."

How to Use Gutter

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA channel that drains water away — or, figuratively, a degraded, sordid state ("gutter press", "gutter language").

Common pairings

clean the gutters gutter press in the gutter

more gutter comparative, guttered past tense, gutters plural, gutters plural, Gutters plural, gutters singular, most gutter superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “gutter” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

Leaves had clogged the _____, so water was spilling over the edge of the roof.

From Old French goutiere, based on Latin gutta ("a drop"), since a gutter carries away drops of rainwater.

utter butter putter nutter mutter cutter Sutter stutter clutter flutter shutter woodcutter