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

Newsom should make sure that his air board appointees don’t gouge motorists even more.

From Los Angeles Times

Its control over the industry has made way for dynamic pricing and it "has the power to destroy venues and artists who refuse to work with them. They even have their own resale platform and they encourage ticket resellers to gouge fans," The Perfect Union's Cory Doctorow said.

From Salon

That doesn’t mean that the grocers can’t gouge shoppers.

From Los Angeles Times

He added: "They want to give more power to big corporate interests that can raise prices on middle class families as they see fit, more power to insurance companies to deny care, more power to drug companies to gouge seniors or everyone with prescription drugs."

From Salon

Others used more direct means to gain an advantage, even when the rules were simple and permissive; one cup from 490 BC depicts a wrestler breaking the only two prohibitions in that sport by biting his opponent and attempting to gouge out his eyes.

From Salon