gauge

¹gauge

noun \ˈgāj\

Definition of GAUGE

1

a : a measurement (as of linear dimension) according to some standard or system: as (1) : the distance between the rails of a railroad (2) : the size of a shotgun barrel's inner diameter nominally expressed as the number of lead balls each just fitting that diameter required to make a pound <a 12-gauge shotgun> (3) : the thickness of a thin material (as sheet metal or plastic film) (4) : the diameter of a slender object (as wire or a hypodermic needle) (5) : the fineness of a knitted fabric expressed by the number of loops per unit width

b : dimensions, size

c : measure 1 <surveys are a gauge of public sentiment>

2

: an instrument for or a means of measuring or testing: as

a : an instrument for measuring a dimension or for testing mechanical accuracy

b : an instrument with a graduated scale or dialect for measuring or indicating quantity

3

: relative position of a ship with reference to another ship and the wind

4

: a function introduced into a field equation to produce a convenient form of the equation but having no observable physical consequences

Variants of GAUGE

gauge also gage \ˈgāj\

Examples of GAUGE

1. The broadest gauge of the economy—the gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation—has risen little more than 4% since the recovery began. —Alfred L. Malabre, Jr., Wall Street Journal, 26 July 1993

Origin of GAUGE

Middle English gauge, from Anglo-French

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Railroad Terms

cowcatcher, cupola, vestibule, yard

Rhymes with GAUGE

age, cage, gage, Gage, mage, page, rage, sage, stage, swage, wage

²gauge

transitive verb \ˈgāj\

gauged also gagedgaug·ing also gag·ing

Definition of GAUGE

1

a : to measure precisely the size, dimensions, or other measurable quantity of

b : to determine the capacity or contents of

c : estimate, judge <hard to gauge his moods>

2

a : to check for conformity to specifications or limits

b : to measure off or set out

Variants of GAUGE

gauge also gage \ˈgāj\

Examples of GAUGE

1. Home sales provide a useful way of gauging the overall state of the economy.
2. He accurately gauged the mood of the voters.
3. I was gauging her reaction to the news.
4. instruments for gauging temperature and humidity
5. Through history, the powers of single black men flash here and there like falling stars, and die sometimes before the world has rightly gauged their brightness. —W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk, 1903
6. On the other hand, no one supposes that the intellect of any two animals or of any two men can be accurately gauged by the cubic contents of their skulls. —Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man, 1871
7. Incommunicative as he was, some time elapsed before I had an opportunity of gauging his mind. I first got an idea of its calibre when I heard him preach in his own church at Morton. —Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847

Origin of GAUGE

(see ¹gauge)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to GAUGE

Synonyms

calculate, call, conjecture, figure, estimate (also gage), guess, judge, make, place, put, reckon, suppose

Related Words

conclude, deduce, extrapolate, gather, infer, reason, understand

Near Antonyms

calibrate, measure, scale; compute, work out

gauge

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In manufacturing and engineering, a device used to determine whether a dimension is larger or smaller than a reference standard. A snap gauge, for example, is formed like the letter C, with outer “go” and inner “not go” jaws, and is used to check diameters, lengths, and thicknesses. Screw-thread pitch gauges have triangular serrations spaced to correspond with various pitches, or numbers of threads per inch or per centimeter. Deviation-type or dial gauges indicate the amount by which an object deviates from the standard.