gorge

¹

[ gawrj ]

noun

1. a narrow cleft with steep, rocky walls, especially one through which a stream runs.

   Synonyms: gap, notch, ravine, defile

2. a small canyon.
3. a gluttonous meal.
4. something that is swallowed; contents of the stomach.
5. an obstructing mass:

   an ice gorge.

6. the seam formed at the point where the lapel meets the collar of a jacket or coat.
7. Fortification. the rear entrance or part of a bastion or similar outwork.
8. Also called gorge hook. a primitive type of fishhook consisting of a piece of stone or bone with sharpened ends and a hole or groove in the center for fastening a line.
9. the throat; gullet.

verb (used with object)

, gorged, gorg·ing.

1. to stuff with food (usually used reflexively or passively):

   He gorged himself. They were gorged.

   Synonyms: fill, cram, glut

2. to swallow, especially greedily.

   Synonyms: gobble, gulp, bolt, devour

3. to choke up (usually used passively).

verb (used without object)

, gorged, gorg·ing.

1. to eat greedily.

gorge

²

[ gawrj ]

noun

, Heraldry.

1. gurge ( def 2 ).

gorge

/ ɡɔːdʒ /

noun

1. a deep ravine, esp one through which a river runs
2. the contents of the stomach
3. feelings of disgust or resentment (esp in the phrase one's gorge rises )
4. an obstructing mass

   an ice gorge

5. fortifications
   1. a narrow rear entrance to a work
   2. the narrow part of a bastion or outwork
6. archaic.
   the throat or gullet

verb

1. intr falconry (of hawks) to eat until the crop is completely full
2. to swallow (food) ravenously
3. tr to stuff (oneself) with food

gorge

/ gôrj /

1. A deep, narrow valley with steep rocky sides, often with a stream flowing through it. Gorges are smaller and narrower than canyons and are often a part of a canyon.

Derived Forms

• ˈgorger, noun
• ˈgorgeable, adjective

Other Words From

• gorge·a·ble adjective
• gorg·ed·ly [gawr, -jid-lee], adverb
• gorg·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gorge¹

First recorded in 1325–75; (verb) Middle English, from Old French gorger, derivative of gorge “throat,” from unattested Vulgar Latin gorga, akin to Latin gurguliō “gullet, throat,” gurges “whirlpool, eddy”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gorge¹

C14: from Old French gorger to stuff, from gorge throat, from Late Latin gurga, modification of Latin gurges whirlpool

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make one's gorge rise, to evoke violent anger or strong disgust:

   The cruelty of war made his gorge rise.

Example Sentences

While the national-preservation status of the majority of the gorge is a concession to local hunters, the group is slated to lose roughly 4,000 acres of hunting grounds in the Lower Gorge with the new designation.

From Outside Online

The cliffs of the gorge are a thousand feet high in parts, with walls of Nuttall sandstone that provide climbers with more than 1,500 routes.

From Outside Online

The gorge is home to hundreds of rare species, including the highest concentration of rare plants in Maryland, according to the National Park Service.

From Washington Post

Canyoners are constantly concerned about flash floods, but hikers exploring riverside trails and narrow gorges should also be aware of flood potential, because they can happen with little to no warning.

From Outside Online

There’s fire on both sides of the Feather River, and the Feather River is just a very steep gorge in many places.

From ProPublica

The Gorge has always been a hotbed of radicalism and arms smuggling, but now it is fast becoming a shahid factory.

From The Daily Beast

PANKISI GORGE, Georgia—The mother of martyrs, a woman in her fifties, is delicately beautiful and visibly in pain.

From The Daily Beast

BIRKIANI, Georgia — Time seems to stop in this sleepy Georgian village high in the green mountains of the Pankisi Gorge.

From The Daily Beast

The Pankisi Gorge is a beautiful place, but it does not offer big opportunities to the local boys.

From The Daily Beast

And he is said to be luring more young Muslims from his home region in the Pankisi Gorge to join his insurgency forces.

From The Daily Beast

Poor wretches—they were afraid to refuse, yet their gorge rose at the deed, and they fired at the ceiling!

From Project Gutenberg

Far up the gorge dense clouds of black smoke swooped down from the benchland.

From Project Gutenberg

Darkness fell, but still the fight continued, and at last Dupont's guns were heard at the other side of the gorge.

From Project Gutenberg

Therefore its channel is usually not a hundredth part as wide as the gorge or valley in which it lies.

From Project Gutenberg

On his right an open glade revealed to him the dark gorge through which the Cluden thundered.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• canyon
• chasm
• crevasse
• ravine