gouge

1 of 2

noun

1
: a chisel with a concavo-convex cross section
2
a
: the act of gouging
b
: a groove or cavity scooped out
3
: an excessive or improper charge for something : extortion

gouge

2 of 2

verb

gouged; gouging

transitive verb

1
: to scoop out with or as if with a gouge (see gouge entry 1 sense 1)
2
a
: to force out (an eye) with the thumb
b
: to thrust the thumb into the eye of
3
: to make (someone) pay too much for something : overcharge
gouger noun

Examples of gouge in a Sentence

Noun The accident left a big gouge in the side of the car. Verb The lamp fell and gouged the table. A bomb had gouged a large crater in the street. They feel that they are being gouged by the oil companies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There was a time when those gouges were a source of pride. Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2023 For too long, career politicians have stood by while corporate special interests write our health policy, which has allowed Big Insurance to restrict us with networks and Big Pharma to price gouge us year after year. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Fill any dents, scratches, or gouges with wood filler. Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024 That's how Julius Caesar ended up with knives in his body, and Succession ended with the Roy children puncturing each other with the vilest insults (and eye gouges). Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 6 Aug. 2023 Small gouges from the brick and broken glass are still visible on the windowsill. David Enrich, New York Times, 6 June 2023 Use a gouge or rotary tool ($50, The Home Depot) to etch large sections. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Oct. 2022 But on Mars, those plumes will tear deep gouges in the terrain below, exactly where the lander aims to set down, says Matt Kuhns, former chief engineer at Masten Space Systems. Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 8 May 2023 Armed with a turning chisel called a bowl gouge and dressed in a green Big Bud Press jumpsuit, Jackson proceeds to mold the rough-hewn piece of black walnut similar to a potter forming a vessel on a potter’s wheel. Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2023
Verb
Business: Consumers are not the only segment gouging themselves on debt. Robert Barone, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 To the left of the falls, gouged halfway up the cliff face, was a cave. Peter Heller, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2024 The presenter shows a manatee bone gouged by a propeller; the average age of manatees killed by watercraft is just seven years. Robin Soslow, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Carrefour has started marking its shelves with signs detailing the degree of shrinkage and how much consumers were getting gouged on prices. Liz Alderman, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2024 In exchange, the officers did his bidding, providing ship schedules for the Navy’s Seventh Fleet and steering Navy ships to ports around Southeast Asia where Francis and his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, could gouge the Navy on services. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2023 The fund’s value has been ravaged by higher interest rates, which has gouged the prospects of future income from streaming royalties. Jem Aswad, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023 This has to do with the way Americans buy and sell homes, now that a jury has found that the National Association of Realtors (and others) conspired to gouge buyers and sellers. Alena Botros, Fortune, 6 Dec. 2023 Along the way, attorney Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) uncovers a gross exploitation of Black Southerners by the defendant company, who knowingly gouged them for funeral services. Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gouge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English gowge, from Middle French gouge, from Late Latin gulbia

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gouge was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gouge

Cite this Entry

“Gouge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gouge. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gouge

1 of 2 noun
1
: a chisel with a curved blade for scooping or cutting holes
2
: a hole or groove made with or as if with a gouge

gouge

2 of 2 verb
gouged; gouging
1
: to cut holes or grooves in with or as if with a gouge
2
: to force out (an eye) with the thumb
3
gouger noun

Medical Definition

gouge

noun
: a chisel with a concavo-convex cross section for removing portions of bone in surgery

More from Merriam-Webster on gouge

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