spill your guts

Meaning

Spill your guts means to confess everything or reveal your deepest secrets, thoughts, and feelings, often under pressure or during an emotional moment. It is highly informal and vivid, usually used when someone finally decides to be completely honest after holding something back.

Examples

• After an hour of intense questioning, he finally spilled his guts to the police.

  After an hour of intense questioning, he finally spilled his guts to the police.

• I needed a good friend to talk to, so I called Sarah and spilled my guts.

  I needed a good friend to talk to, so I called Sarah and spilled my guts.

• He got a bit tipsy at the party and started spilling his guts about his relationship issues.

  He got a bit tipsy at the party and started spilling his guts about his relationship issues.

• She was tired of keeping secrets and decided to spill her guts to her parents.

  She was tired of keeping secrets and decided to spill her guts to her parents.

• Don't spill your guts to him; he is notorious for spreading gossip around the office.

  Don't spill your guts to him; he is notorious for spreading gossip around the office.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ She spilled her stomach about the secret.

  ✓ She spilled her guts about the secret.

  'Spill your guts' is a fixed idiom; you cannot substitute 'guts' with other body parts like 'stomach' or 'belly'.

• ✗ I spilled my guts for my best friend.

  ✓ I spilled my guts to my best friend.

  We spill our guts 'to' someone (the recipient of the confession), not 'for' them.

Related Expressions

Practice

• He sat me down and proceeded to ___ about why he left his job.

  💡 confess everything or reveal deep secrets

  Show answer

  spill his guts

• If you don't ___ to the therapist, they can't really help you.

  💡 speak completely honestly and openly

  Show answer

  spill your guts