gouge

American  

[gouj] / gaʊdʒ /

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.

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verb (used with object)

gouged, gouging

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, gouging

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

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

gouge British  

/ 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)

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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 Word Forms

• gouger
  noun
• ungouged
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gouge

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”

Explanation

To gouge can mean to make a hole or dent in something, or to swindle or steal by overcharging. If your local gas station raises prices because a storm is coming, you may say that the station owner is gouging you — and that's illegal. The verb gouge means to cut or carve. You can use special chisels to gouge linoleum for interesting design in printing. As a noun, a gouge is the tool you would use — instead of a flat-head chisel, a gouge has a trough — to make the gouge marks of the design. Another meaning of the verb gouge is an indentation in the surface of something. If you're not careful with the screwdriver, you'll accidentally gouge a hole in the wall.

Example Sentences

The great French Revolution, for which France is so proud, guillotined Hortense de Gouge who demanded equal rights for women.

From Salon • Feb. 11, 2022

When listing homes for sale, “instead of having 10 offers, they have six offers,” said Snohomish County Coldwell Banker Bain agent Eric Gouge.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2021

Pastor Gene Gouge at Liberty Baptist in Hickory, N.C., is having none of the public health announcements.

From Washington Post • May 8, 2020

We echo the concerns expressed by Unicoi Child Care Center owner Sandy Gouge, who called allowing unlicensed facilities to care for so many children “mind-boggling” and the 10-hour requirement “almost absurd.”

From Washington Times • Feb. 12, 2020

My mammy name was Serena and she belong to some of de Gouge family.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Oklahoma Narratives by Work Projects Administration