Meaning & use
gist
Last updated
The main or essential point of a matter, especially a speech, argument, or piece of writing.
See it in a sentence
I didn't catch every word, but I understood the gist of his argument.
Can you give me the gist of the meeting? I missed the first half.
A note on using this word
Almost always used with "the," as in "the gist of it," rather than as a countable noun.
Words with a similar meaning
essencesubstance
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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