gorge
1 Americannoun
-
a narrow cleft with steep, rocky walls, especially one through which a stream runs.
-
a small canyon.
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a gluttonous meal.
-
something that is swallowed; contents of the stomach.
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an obstructing mass.
an ice gorge.
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the seam formed at the point where the lapel meets the collar of a jacket or coat.
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Fortification. the rear entrance or part of a bastion or similar outwork.
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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.
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the throat; gullet.
verb (used with object)
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gorges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gorged,
past participle, past
-
gorging
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
gorges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gorged,
past participle, past
-
gorging
present participle
idioms
noun
noun
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a deep ravine, esp one through which a river runs
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the contents of the stomach
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feelings of disgust or resentment (esp in the phrase one's gorge rises )
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an obstructing mass
an ice gorge
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fortifications
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a narrow rear entrance to a work
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the narrow part of a bastion or outwork
-
-
archaic the throat or gullet
verb
-
(intr) falconry (of hawks) to eat until the crop is completely full
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to swallow (food) ravenously
-
(tr) to stuff (oneself) with food
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gorgesimple
-
gorgessimple
-
have gorgedperfect
-
has gorgedperfect
-
am gorgingprogressive
-
are gorgingprogressive
-
is gorgingprogressive
-
have been gorgingperfect progressive
-
has been gorgingperfect progressive
Past
-
gorgedsimple
-
had gorgedperfect
-
was gorgingprogressive
-
were gorgingprogressive
-
had been gorgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gorge
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”
Explanation
A gorge is a very deep crevice between two mountains or hills. Gorges are formed by rivers running through and eroding rock over a very long period of time. The Latin root of gorge means "throat," leading to both the "narrow passage" meaning and the French gorgier, "to swallow," which influenced the verb version of gorge, "to overeat." You may love to gorge on ice cream, but the stomachache afterward won't be very pleasant. To remember the "canyon" meaning, think of the famous upstate New York bumper sticker, “Ithaca is gorges.” It's a play on gorgeous, meaning beautiful, and the beautiful ravines in the area.
Vocabulary lists containing gorge
Hatchet
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Physical Geography - Introductory
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
From June until mid October, the bears gorge on food, including salmon caught with their jaws or paws.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Young lions swarm near a natural stone bridge that crosses a gorge said to be nearly 10 miles deep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
He said that in the wild, ducks gorge before migration and store fat in their livers and argues that "gavage" -- the process of force-feeding -- is a traditional means of animal husbandry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Her partner initially came to her rescue and alerted the emergency services, setting in motion a huge operation to help Leah who had landed in a gorge of the River Llech.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
At last he was brought to a complete halt when the river entered a rocky gorge with no foothold on either side.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
It offers quiet roads along coastlines and river gorges and into mountains, among rice paddies and through towns with tiled roofs where villagers pride themselves on their Shikoku hospitality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
"The gorges are very deep and steep, so that's the difficulty."
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Wind speeds can increase further as they funnel through the valleys and gorges in the area, much like water increases its speed as it passes through a hose.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2025
Elisabeth, resentful, gorges on whatever fatty food she can find.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025
The gray stallion pulled his sled, piled high with rocks, through snowdrifts and through blizzards, up steep hills and down again, through icy gorges.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
January tends to come with a slowdown in spending after consumers have gorged on shopping for the holidays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Nancy has gone to three at the back, and with three left-footers, which is something that Derek McInnes gorged on at Tynecastle.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
Instead, the American and British public gorged on the sensationalism because that was the supposedly “official” record.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2025
“The bed bugs latched onto the Plaintiffs while they slept, sucked their blood until they were gorged, and resisted eradication,” according to the complaint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
She found the remnants of a farm and gorged herself on bananas gone wild.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
The bears of Katmai spend summer and early autumn gorging themselves on salmon as they look to bulk up ahead of a long winter of hibernation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Barely a handful of winters have passed since Patriots fans, still gorging on six titles,
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
It denotes licentiousness and lack of control, the actions of a toddler gorging himself on chocolate until he is sick.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2025
The young sharks were gorging themselves on the hated stingrays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
The authorities would be telling them that we were not participating in the strike, that we were gorging ourselves on gourmet meals.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
