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Gage vs. Gauge
There are two gages: one refers to pledges or securities and is no longer in common general use, and the other is a variant spelling of gauge, which in the noun form refers broadly to measurement (“fine-gauge wire”) or a standard by which something is measured (“polls are a good gauge of how voters might vote”). The earliest evidence we have for the noun gauge goes back to the 15th century, when English spelling was not yet standardized, and the word in question was spelled gauge and gage with roughly equal frequency. Gauge began to be preferred in the late 19th century for most general uses. Some claim that gage appears as a variant more frequently in the U.S., though our evidence shows that the vast majority of uses for gage are from specialized and technical industries, such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and electronics, and that these uses of gage are global, not limited to the U.S. Nonetheless, total use of the word gage is small when compared to the total use of the word gauge.
The verb gauge, which refers to measuring or estimating, also has a variant gage. This variant appears to show up primarily in informal sources, though not often. Gauge is by far the preferred spelling in general usage for both the noun and the verb; we encourage you use it.
Synonyms
Examples of gauge in a Sentence
Alfred L. Malabre, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 26 July 1993
Verb
Through history, the powers of single black men flash here and there like falling stars, and die sometimes before the world has rightly gauged their brightness.
—W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk, 1903
On the other hand, no one supposes that the intellect of any two animals or of any two men can be accurately gauged by the cubic contents of their skulls.
—Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, 1871
Incommunicative as he was, some time elapsed before I had an opportunity of gauging his mind. I first got an idea of its calibre when I heard him preach in his own church at Morton.
—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847
Home sales provide a useful way of gauging the overall state of the economy.
He accurately gauged the mood of the voters.
I was gauging her reaction to the news.
instruments for gauging temperature and humidity
Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
Another inflation gauge, the consumer price index, showed a similar acceleration in price gains.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Behind the selloff was the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, which rose 2.5% for the 12 months that ended in February, a faster clip than January’s price increase.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Tuesday’s lackluster deliveries report (an approximate gauge for sales) comes after even some of the most optimistic analysts have recently sounded the alarm on Tesla’s performance.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
The driver’s gauge pod is a separate but visually complimentary screen also mounted on a polished black background, creating the illusion of an unbroken touch-sensitive expanse stretching from A-pillar to A-pillar, the entire width of the dash panel.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Any glass of water below a 10-centimeter gauge line inflicted a 30-second penalty.
—Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
His car’s battery health gauge indicates five out of 12 bars of health, and his vsNEW report corroborates that by showing his battery’s state of health at 35 percent.
—Logan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
In summer 2022, food prices rose at an annual rate around 12 percent, almost double the overall increase in the personal consumption expenditures index, the Fed’s preferred gauge of rising prices.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In 2023, the company announced plans to conscript humans into its first-ever research trial to gauge both the benefits and potential health risks of their premier product: a chip implanted directly into the brain.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
The court decided that the US successfully mitigated these concerns by offering assurances that Assange would not face certain treatments that, while commonplace in the US, are widely gauged to run afoul of international law, including the use of extreme isolation.
—Dell Cameron Matt Burgess, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
Conceived by Harley Earl, head of GM’s Art & Color Department in the middle of the last century, the original Motorama showcased what potential customers might be able to expect in the future, but also served as a barometer to gauge the public’s interest in various stylistic features and amenities.
—Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
The Supreme Court will gauge whether New York regulators, who are allowed to voice opinions, went too far to discourage insurers from dealing with the National Rifle Association over its gun advocacy.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Putin’s approval ratings have remained high, although gauging public opinion is difficult in Russia as people are often too afraid to speak freely.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024
How to avoid traffic during the eclipse To gauge road congestion during and after the eclipse, drivers can visit 511in.org which shares the latest traffic patterns across the state and possibly find alternative routes.
—Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Mar. 2024
Choi recommends reaching out to your bridal party early to gauge comfort levels with everything from price to colors.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gauge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gauge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gauge. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
gauge
1 of 2 noungauge
2 of 2 transitive verb
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