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• wire gauge
  wire gauge

  noun

  a gauge calibrated for determining the diameter of wire.
• wire-gauge
  wire-gauge

  noun

  a flat plate with slots in which standard wire sizes can be measured

wire gauge

American  

noun

1. a gauge calibrated for determining the diameter of wire.

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wire-gauge British  

noun

1. a flat plate with slots in which standard wire sizes can be measured

2. a standard system of sizes for measuring the diameters of wires

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Etymology

Origin of wire gauge

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

A wire’s size is referred to as the wire gauge.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2021

And fences must meet strict criteria on height, wire gauge and post spacing.

From Washington Times • Nov. 23, 2015

A simple wire gauge is usually formed of a piece of steel containing numerous notches, whose widths are equal to the intended thickness to be measured in each respective notch.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

Fortunately, however, so far as magnet wire is concerned, the so-called Brown and Sharpe, or American, wire gauge is almost universally employed in this country.

From Cyclopedia of Telephony & Telegraphy Vol. 1 A General Reference Work on Telephony, etc. etc. by Miller, Kempster

And that meant light and intermittent pressures on the number 43 wire gauge drill—the one that's the right size to drill out a 4-40.

From The Trouble with Telstar by Schoenherr, John