price gouging

[ prahys gou-jing ]

noun

1. an act or instance of charging customers too high a price for goods or services, especially when demand is high and supplies are limited:

   The law prohibits price gouging during weather emergencies such as snowstorms.

Other Words From

• price gouge price-gouge verb (used with or without object)
• price goug·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of price gouging¹

First recorded in 1915–20

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