something, as a glove, thrown down by a medieval knight in token of challenge to combat.
Archaic. a challenge.
Archaic. a pledge or pawn; security.
something deposited as security against the fulfilment of an obligation; pledge
(formerly) a glove or other object thrown down to indicate a challenge to combat
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English, from Old French g(u)age, from Germanic; compare Gothic wadi “a pledge”; cf. wage
First recorded in 1840–50; by shortening
A gage is an instrument for measuring, like the gas gage in your car that tells you it's time to fill 'er up. It's also spelled "gauge." As a verb, to gage is to place a bet. As a noun, it's something thrown down, like a glove you chuck at someone and challenge them to a duel. As a way of measuring, a gage can refer to the thickness of a needle or a shotgun. You don't need an instrument, though, you might gage how much time you have left outside by looking at the sun. Sticklers use gauge for measuring and gage for duels and bets.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Gage rightly contends that this region deserves more renown than it often gets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Ms. Gage acknowledges this, quoting President Lyndon B. Johnson’s description of American history as “the excitement of becoming.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
“In May, this man over here, for four days, stood patiently waiting for his chance,” Gage told jurors during his closing remarks, pointing toward Cuellar.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
The class had developed such a reputation for roughhousing that some officers took to calling it “Fight Club,” Gage said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
And for five years we have stood waiting….Not as idle spectators, but as the busiest and most unwearied actors,” wrote suffragist Frances Dana Barker Gage in a letter to the Anti-Slavery Standard, an abolitionist newspaper.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
