the gist
noun
: the general or basic meaning of something said or written : the main points
—usually + of
The gist of her argument was that the law was unfair.
I didn't read the whole article, but I got the gist of it.
Examples of the gist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet the gist of Joel’s 135-minute concert connected to the feeling of performances given in bars everywhere by pianists who always take the same requests and still manage to smile: comfort, reminiscence and sing-a-long melodies that slosh around in your head.
—
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2024
The mechanism is complicated, but here’s the gist: A lot of things that salamanders eat, including springtails and beetle larvae, chew up leaves on the forest floor.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 18 June 2024
That was the gist of headlines two years ago, when Swift’s Eras Tour resulted in a ticket-sales fiasco of epic proportions.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
That’s the gist of this mini chain with 11 locations, from the original one in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, to outposts in South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
—Carolanne Griffith Roberts, Southern Living, 22 May 2024
So the gist of this story so far is that Ohtani’s close friend betrayed him.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Perhaps then there will be more enlightenment, but that’s the gist of where things stand with the Hornets’ big man.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024
Though state strategies vary greatly, the gist is this: Under federal tax rules, the SALT ceiling applies to individual taxpayers, but not businesses structured as pass-through entities — say, a construction company, or a small law firm — according to tax professionals.
—Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
That’s the gist of the business lobby’s lawsuit over the California laws.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2024
The mechanism is complicated, but here’s the gist: A lot of things that salamanders eat, including springtails and beetle larvae, chew up leaves on the forest floor.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 18 June 2024
That was the gist of headlines two years ago, when Swift’s Eras Tour resulted in a ticket-sales fiasco of epic proportions.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
That’s the gist of this mini chain with 11 locations, from the original one in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, to outposts in South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
—Carolanne Griffith Roberts, Southern Living, 22 May 2024
So the gist of this story so far is that Ohtani’s close friend betrayed him.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Perhaps then there will be more enlightenment, but that’s the gist of where things stand with the Hornets’ big man.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024
Though state strategies vary greatly, the gist is this: Under federal tax rules, the SALT ceiling applies to individual taxpayers, but not businesses structured as pass-through entities — say, a construction company, or a small law firm — according to tax professionals.
—Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
That’s the gist of the business lobby’s lawsuit over the California laws.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the gist.' 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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Cite this Entry
“The gist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20gist. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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