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.

---

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)

---

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”

Example Sentences

However RTÉ is reporting that some forecourt retailers are dropping their pump prices before they get fresh deliveries to avoid criticism and allegations of price gouging.

From BBC

At last it came free; with the point, she set to work gouging the hole wider.

From Literature

They rounded a bend and came to a fallen birch that was bleeding from deep claw-marks gouged in its bark.

From Literature

He is also expected to say he will "not tolerate companies trying to exploit this crisis" following accusations of price gouging.

From BBC

And for good measure, there's already been a very public tiff with the industry, after ministers started talking about price gouging and profiteering.

From BBC