gouge

[ gouj ]

noun

1. a chisel having a partly cylindrical blade with the bevel on either the concave or the convex side.
2. an act of gouging.
3. a groove or hole made by gouging.
4. 1. an act or instance of extorting or overcharging; a swindle.
   2. the amount of money extorted or overcharged:

      a gouge of $20 for shipping and delivery.

5. Geology.
   1. a layer of decomposed rocks or minerals found along the walls of a vein.
   2. fragments of rock that have accumulated between or along the walls of a fault.

verb (used with object)

, gouged, goug·ing.

1. to scoop out or turn with or as if with a gouge:

   to gouge a channel; to gouge holes.

2. to dig or force out with or as if with a gouge:

   to gouge out an eye.

3. to make a gouge in:

   to gouge one's leg.

4. to extort from, overcharge, or swindle:

   drug companies that gouge consumers and the government.

verb (used without object)

, gouged, goug·ing.

1. to engage in extortion, overcharging, or swindling:

   I bought a lot of my clothes there before they began gouging.

gouge

/ ɡaʊdʒ /

verb

1. usually foll by out to scoop or force (something) out of its position, esp with the fingers or a pointed instrument
2. sometimes foll by out to cut (a hole or groove) in (something) with a sharp instrument or tool
3. informal.
   to extort from
4. also intr to dig for (opal)

noun

1. a type of chisel with a blade that has a concavo-convex section
2. a mark or groove made with, or as if with, a gouge
3. geology a fine deposit of rock fragments, esp clay, occurring between the walls of a fault or mineral vein
4. informal.
   extortion; swindling

Other Words From

• goug·er noun
• un·gouged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gouge¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from French, from Late Latin gu(l)bia; compare Old Provençal goja, Spanish gubia; perhaps from Celtic; compare Old Irish gulba “sting,” Welsh gylf “beak,” Cornish gilb “borer”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gouge¹

C15: from French, from Late Latin gulbia a chisel, of Celtic origin

Example Sentences

Democrats should have offered a solution to inflation and price gouging.

From Salon

Harris has proposed policies to ward off supermarket and grocery store price gouging.

From Salon

Trump, she said, would enter office “stewing over an enemies list,” and she said she would walk in “with my to-do list,” including implementing a federal ban on price gouging on groceries.

From Los Angeles Times

“The opposition has been lying about a false narrative that inflation has been the result of increased wages. The reality is prices have gone up because of corporate price gouging,” Sanberg said.

From Los Angeles Times

Mine is to end food-sector price gouging, have Medicare cover home health care, help new small businesses and first-time home buyers.

From Salon