gauge
noun
\
Definition of gauge
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : a measurement (as of linear dimension) according to some standard or system: such 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 (such as sheet metal or plastic film)
(4) : the diameter of a slender object (such 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 sense 1 surveys are a gauge of public sentiment
2 : an instrument for or a means of measuring or testing: such as
a : an instrument for measuring a dimension or for testing mechanical accuracy
b : an instrument with a graduated (see graduate entry 3 sense 2a) scale or dial 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
gauge
verbDefinition of gauge (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : to measure precisely the size, dimensions, or other measurable quantity of
b : to determine the capacity or contents of
2a : to check for conformity to specifications or limits
b : to measure off or set out
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Examples of gauge in a Sentence
Noun
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 1993Verb
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 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 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 Home sales provide a useful way of gauging the overall state of the economy. He accurately gauged the mood of the voters. I was gauging her reaction to the news. instruments for gauging temperature and humidity
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Trade worries weighed on other markets Friday, with the S&P 500, the broad gauge for stocks, slipping 0.1% and currencies of export-dependent Asian countries like South Korea and Thailand also weakening. — Benjamin Parkin, WSJ, "Trade Fears Threaten Best Year in Commodities Since 2002," 15 June 2018 Still, even this film buff sees advances coming that will make digital even more powerful, one day to supplant the 70mm as the ideal film gauge for modern movies. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "There Are Secrets in the Texas Theatre," 25 May 2018 With 25-to-54 viewers, the main gauge for these monthly contests, WFTV-Channel 9 was the clear favorite for news from 5 to 7 a.m. At noon, WKMG-Channel 6 pulled in front. — Hal Boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "March ratings: WFTV wins early morning, evening," 29 Mar. 2018 Ohio State as a gauge for Indiana -- not the other way around. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com, "Ohio State basketball is better than Indiana once again: Doug Lesmerises," 31 Jan. 2018 The Fed's preferred inflation gauge has increased at a slower pace, up 2.3 percent in the past year. — Christopher Rugaber, Fox News, "US inflation reaches 2.9 percent in June, highest in 6 years," 13 July 2018 Consumer prices in May rose 2.3% from a year earlier, and excluding volatile food and energy categories, rose 2%, according to the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. — Nick Timiraos, WSJ, "Federal Reserve Report Defends Use of New Tools to Set Interest Rates," 13 July 2018 Compounding the challenge: traders can short-sell the stock from day one and Xiaomi won’t be considered for inclusion in benchmark MSCI gauges. — Ian Mount, Fortune, "Chinese Smartphone Maker Xiaomi’s Monster IPO Flops on Its First Day of Trading," 9 July 2018 Volvo offers drivers a graphically beautiful gauge pod, with dials that have a touch of feathering and a nice typeface. — Scott Sturgis, Philly.com, "Driving the 2018 Volvo XC60," 5 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Even more troubling, the biological mothers had been chosen for their histories of mental illness, so that Neubauer might gauge to what degree environment figured in the children's mental health and identity formation. — J.r. Jones, Chicago Reader, "Triplets ripped from family in a Nazi-like experiment, probed in Three Identical Strangers," 5 July 2018 One way of gauging how free The Carters are on Everything is Love is comparing them to Painter’s definition. — Joshunda Sanders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything Is Love Is the Ultimate Ode to Black Freedom," 22 June 2018 Goldberg is looking toward the November elections to gauge the national direction. — Dennis Hohenberger, Courant Community, "Human Relations Commission, Windsor High GSA Kick Off Pride Month," 21 June 2018 Traditional stats may not be the best way to gauge Bryant’s impact this season. — Chris Johnson And Eric Single, SI.com, "Top 100 College Football Players of 2018: Nos. 50–31," 19 June 2018 The business will potentially open early for second-round matches after gauging the traffic at de Vere's, said Firestone Public House assistant manager Bryan Huseman. — Angel Guerrero, sacbee, "Five places to watch the World Cup in Sacramento," 14 June 2018 That’s because for years, researchers and medical groups have been laying the groundwork, running studies to gauge the safety and efficacy of OTC birth control — and show there’s a market for it. — Megan Thielking, STAT, "Pressure mounts on drug makers to move birth control over the counter," 8 June 2018 The impact of the grid system is difficult to gauge. — The Economist, "China wants eyes and ears on every street," 28 June 2018 My father’s simple existence has been like a horizontal plumb line for me, one to gauge myself against. — R. Daniel Foster, WSJ, "A Father’s Lesson: Keep the Spirit Level," 14 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gauge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for gauge
gauge
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gauge
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an instrument that is used for measuring something
: something that can be used to measure or judge something else
: the distance between the rails of a railroad
gauge
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of gauge (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a judgment about (something)
: to measure (something) exactly
See the full definition for gauge in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gauge
nounKids Definition of gauge
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a measurement (as the distance between the rails of a railroad or the size of a shotgun barrel's inner diameter) according to some standard a standard gauge railway
2 : an instrument for measuring, testing, or registering a rain gauge a steam gauge
gauge
verbKids Definition of gauge (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to measure exactly gauge rainfall
2 : to make a judgment about It was hard to gauge his moods.
gauge
noun
\
Medical Definition of gauge
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : measurement according to some standard or system
b : the dimensions or extent of something
2 : an instrument for or a means of measuring or testing
3 : the diameter of a slender object (as a hypodermic needle)
gauge
transitive verbMedical Definition of gauge (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : to measure exactly
b : to determine the capacity or contents of
2a : to check for conformity to specifications or limits
b : to measure off or set out
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