gauge

noun \ ˈgāj \

variants: or less commonly gage

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: gauge in a Sentence

Editor's Note: gage vs. gauge

Definition of gauge

1 a : 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 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 ³graduate 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

See gauge defined for English-language learners

See gauge defined for kids

Examples of gauge in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of gauge from the Web

Prices have fallen and the yield on a Bloomberg Barclays gauge of local-currency debt has surged to 7.5% as of Wednesday, from 4.5% at the end of December.

— mike bird, WSJ, "China’s Bonds Buck the Emerging-Market Trend," 12 July 2018
The instrument panel is driver-centric with wide-view visibility of gauges and controls.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2019 Volkswagen Jetta: 7th generation wide-body reboot," 6 July 2018
The Dow is an index of the stock price for 30 companies from different sectors of the economy and is seen as one of the best gauges of market activity.

— james pilcher, Cincinnati.com, "GE dropped from Dow, but locals not worried," 20 June 2018
Through May 31, only .77 of an inch of rain had been recorded at the official gauge at the airport.

— weldon b. johnson, azcentral, "Arizona's drought continues. Could monsoon soon bring relief?," 2 June 2018
That outperformance has helped push spreads on the Bank of America Merrill Lynch gauge of CCC rated debt to below 700 basis points earlier this week — the smallest premium since July 2014.

— Fortune, "Riskiest Junk Bonds Are Most 'Mispriced' Since 2007, Goldman Says," 25 May 2018
The event featured several model railroad displays of various gauges that included opportunities to interact with the toy trains.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Homewood festival celebrates village's railroad legacy," 21 May 2018
On the Pacific Crest Trail, the automated gauge at Wilma Lake (8,000 feet) reported 46.5 inches.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Yosemite, Tahoe, Shasta a go for summer rec season," 14 May 2018
Ahead of you, the main instrument display is a pair of physical analog gauges (tachometer on the left, speedometer on the right) with a small multifunction display in between.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "The Nissan Rogue is a huge sales success, but is it any good? A review," 18 Apr. 2018

These 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.

gage vs. gauge

There are two gages: one refers to pledges or securities and is no longer in common general use, and the other is a variant spelling of gauge, which in the noun form refers broadly to measurement (“fine-gauge wire”) or a standard by which something is measured (“polls are a good gauge of how voters might vote”). The earliest evidence we have for the noun gauge goes back to the 15th century, when English spelling was not yet standardized, and the word in question was spelled gauge and gage with roughly equal frequency. Gauge began to be preferred in the late 19th century for most general uses. Some claim that gage appears as a variant more frequently in the U.S., though our evidence shows that the vast majority of uses for gage are from specialized and technical industries, such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and electronics, and that these uses of gage are global, not limited to the U.S. Nonetheless, total use of the word gage is small when compared to the total use of the word gauge.

The verb gauge, which refers to measuring or estimating, also has a variant gage. This variant appears to show up primarily in informal sources, though not often. Gauge is by far the preferred spelling in general usage for both the noun and the verb; we encourage you use it.

Origin and Etymology of gauge

Middle English gauge, from Anglo-French

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of gauge

standard, criterion, gauge, yardstick, touchstone mean a means of determining what a thing should be. standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority.

- standards of behavior

criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not.

- questioned the critic's criteria for excellence

gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (such as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect.

- polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction

yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality.

- housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth

touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible.

- fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant

Other Railroad Terms

cowcatcher, cupola, vestibule, yard

gauge

verb

variants: or less commonly gage

Definition of gauge

gauged also gaged; gauging also gaging

transitive verb

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

See gauge defined for English-language learners

Examples of gauge in a Sentence

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 of gauge from the Web

The Scheers staged a pop-up edible-dough event in March at Tempe Public Market to gauge market reaction.

— gwen ashley walters, azcentral, "Edible cookie dough: Where in metro Phoenix to buy dough that's safe to eat," 13 July 2018
The consumer-price index, which gauges the prices Americans pay on most goods, rose 2.9% in June from a year earlier, the highest level since February 2012, the Labor Department said.

— michael wursthorn, WSJ, "U.S. Stocks Regain Ground After Losses," 12 July 2018
When the center undertook a 2015 audience survey to gauge satisfaction, more than 60 percent of respondents complained about the seats.

— peter dobrin, Philly.com, "Academy of Music is replacing its lumpy old seats - and, no, you're not getting cup holders," 12 July 2018
Watch the evolving spread between port prices in the U.S. and Brazil to gauge the first-order impact of the trade war on American farmers.

— Fortune, "Charting the Trade-War Fallout Through Commodities," 12 July 2018
Debt backed by property taxes, often looked at to gauge a city’s financial health, grew by more than $500 million, to nearly $10 billion.

— hal dardick, chicagotribune.com, "Emanuel cuts Chicago pension debt, but future hits to taxpayers still expected," 11 July 2018
The senolytic cocktail used on mice in the new study is already being tested in a human clinical trial aimed at gauging its safety in patients with chronic kidney disease, one of many diseases linked to aging.

— melissa healy, latimes.com, "This drug cocktail reduced signs of age-related diseases and extended life in mice and human cells," 10 July 2018
When people reach back out to a significant ex to gauge the potential for reconciliation, the other person usually wants to know why.

— jenna birch, Health.com, "You've Already Broken Up Once—Here’s How to Know if the Relationship Can Really Work," 10 July 2018
The Monday Campaigns, a non-profit public health initiative associated with Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Syracuse Universities, conducted a web survey of over 1000 respondents to gauge the impact of Monday stress.

— NBC News, "How to turn stress-y Sundays into mellow Mondays," 1 July 2018