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There’s no reason to treat the word gauntlet with kid gloves, so let’s go straight to the punch: gauntlet (which comes from the Middle French word gantelet, the diminutive of gant, meaning “glove”) first referred to the reinforced glove of a suit of armor, but today it’s mostly encountered in figurative phrases, such as “throw down the gauntlet” and “pick up the gauntlet,” that arose from the conventions of medieval combat. To challenge someone to combat, a knight would throw his glove at another knight’s feet. The second knight would pick the glove up if he intended to accept the challenge, in which case a jousting match might ensue. Accordingly, to throw down the gauntlet is to issue an open challenge, while to pick up the gauntlet is to accept one. (The gauntlet that means “severe trial,” or “ordeal,” often used in the phrase “run the gauntlet,” is an alteration of gantelope, a word that originates from Swedish gata, meaning “lane” or “way.”)
Examples of gauntlet in a Sentence
Outside Editors, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
The singer’s pastel set, which came with matching gauntlets and cowboy boots, channeled vintage pin-up models.
—Hannah Malach, WWD, 4 Nov. 2024
Five stocks that made it through this gauntlet look particularly appealing to me.
—John Dorfman, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Many are eager to see two of the most devastating strikers in the sport go at it, but when Pacheco threw down the gauntlet of Cyborg not being an equally well-rounded fighter, that got Ray Elbe, Cyborg’s fiancée and coach, setting up an undeniably superb camp.
—Brian Martin, Orange County Register, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gauntlet 
Dictionary Entries Near gauntlet
Cite this Entry
“Gauntlet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gauntlet. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gauntlet
2 of 2 noun
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