as in to sting
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services
since I had forgotten the sunscreen, I was forced to buy it from the concession stand at the beach—where they gouged me for it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gouge
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Dec. 2025
Ahead of its biggest ever World Cup tournament, FIFA has been accused of greed on an industrial scale, gouging the pockets of supporters who are the lifeblood of the game.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Olivia Rose, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Others had gouge marks consistent with being struck with a cable or a chain.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gouge
Verb
Add Tree Guards Although rabbits will sometimes nibble on tree bark in winter, deer are more likely to do serious damage to young trees, either by stripping tree bark away with their teeth or gouging holes in the bark with their antlers.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Dec. 2025
Ahead of its biggest ever World Cup tournament, FIFA has been accused of greed on an industrial scale, gouging the pockets of supporters who are the lifeblood of the game.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Noun
The mile-wide, 550-foot-deep gouge people see today was crafted in roughly 10 seconds when the meteorite, traveling at 26,000 mph, crash-landed in what was then a forest of juniper and piñon pines.
—Olivia Rose, AZCentral.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Others had gouge marks consistent with being struck with a cable or a chain.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gouge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouge
Verb
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Grejo sank scowling back into his chair as though stung by Adi’s answer.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Ten inches of snow and freeze-your-assets-off temperatures stung Broadway over the weekend, forcing cancellations and box office drops for some shows by the hundreds of thousands of dollars.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And that’s what makes things like Cook’s MLK quote ring a little hollow.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
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Part of that is because the selection process doesn’t actually select the best players, rendering the accolade hollow.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
These maintain the battery with no chance of overcharging.—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Don Bell, the town council vice chair, said at the council’s September meeting that the strict state regulations around speed and red light camera data helped quell his fears that the program might overcharge or discriminate against certain residents.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The groove here is younger than at other resorts, so water sports and other feats of athleticism by the beach are encouraged.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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However, Svitolina never allowed Gauff to get into a groove.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Celia Arguerro, who also has a handicap parking permit, is tired of waiting for reform to catch people cheating the system.—
Larry Seward,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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He likely already would have been inducted were in not for his part in the Astros’ ugly cheating scandal in 2017.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There were also punctures on the outer table of the skull, injuries to the teeth and tongue, and a hemorrhage into the chest cavities, according to the filing.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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Soaking up uneven terrain is the job of dual independent suspension to the rear, there's a rear differential for stable cornering, and 20-inch cast aluminum wheels front and back are each wrapped in puncture-resistant Kenda rubber.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Annual watercraft surcharges funding efforts to prevent the spread of invasive species are set to increase in 2026 from $10.60 to anywhere between $14 and $62, according to House Public Information Services.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
28 Dec. 2025
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Merchants would gain surcharging flexibility and those that accept one of a network’s credit cards would no longer have to accept all of them.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The first is the Enfield Tennis Academy, where athletically gifted boys and girls (but mainly boys) are drilled in physical and mental preparation for what’s known as The Show, a stab at professional tennis.—
Hermione Hoby,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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Both White and her client were found with stab wounds and transported to a local hospital.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gouge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouge. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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