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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
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Of the first 48 hits Houston accumulated during this seven-game gauntlet, 37 were singles.
—Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
In western Canada, the Woolies Pro Tech Crew top and bottom survived a gauntlet of winter smokejumper firefighter training sessions with little fuss—or stink.
—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
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 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gauntlet
2 of 2 noun
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