run the gauntlet
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Go through an intimidating experience in order to reach a goal.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
đi qua một trải nghiệm đáng sợ để đạt được mục tiêu
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
In fact women are clearly already making this kind of calculation for themselves and many do decide they would rather run the gauntlet of contraceptive side effects than risk a pregnancy and cope with the consequences.
Couples, second in the Sony rankings to Faldo, is still coming to terms with the adulation heaped on him after Augusta but is prepared to run the gauntlet again if it means winning a second Major.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “run the gauntlet” mean?
Go through an intimidating experience in order to reach a goal.
Is “run the gauntlet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.