gauge

noun \ ˈgāj \

variants: or less commonly gage

|Updated on: 23 Jun 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

The South Carolina primary is another gauge of whether the Republican electorate is willing to tolerate any criticism of Trump.

— eric bradner, CNN, "Hours before South Carolina polls close, Trump tweets Mark Sanford is 'better off in Argentina'," 12 June 2018
And after a week of testing, same goes for my actual brows, which are probably are the most important gauge.

— lindsay schallon, Glamour, "This $10 Pen Makes It Look Like You Microbladed Your Brows," 11 June 2018
And if that’s not enough helpful guidance, there is the gauge to remind of your driving efficiency, from zero to 100 percent.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Toyota Prius Prime: Nothing fancy, just 640 miles on a tank," 8 June 2018
There was also no gauge for water coming out of the reservoir, which compounded the measurement problem.

— john fialka, Scientific American, "A Wyoming Reservation Shows the New Face of Drought," 6 June 2018
Players can be wary of analytics, the perception being the eye test and gut instincts are more effective gauges of player performance.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons seek young, rising executive to be face of franchise," 24 May 2018
The World Series of Poker is a strong gauge for the health of the poker industry.

— chuck blount, San Antonio Express-News, "2018 World Series of Poker about to get going with gimmicky slate of events," 21 May 2018
At the model’s upriver entrance is an acoustic gauge that measures the height of the water in the simulation.

— ernie mastroianni, Discover Magazine, "A Mighty Model," 15 May 2018
In volume terms, imports rose 1.5 percent in the quarter, while exports grew 0.3 percent Imports of industrial machinery and equipment -- a gauge of business investment -- rose a solid 3.2 percent, but the increase was mostly price related.

— theophilos argitis, Bloomberg.com, "Canada Posts Its Biggest Trade Deficit Ever," 3 May 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 Chopping Block and Sur la Table, which offer classes in Chicago, Naperville, Northbrook and Skokie, to gauge interest, costs and class ideas.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Cooking classes, camps and events offered for kids and adults at newly opened Farmhouse Academy in Mokena," 19 June 2018
Some agents representing lottery picks hold their own workouts with multiple teams to gauge interest before scheduling which NBA cities to schedule additional auditions.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "For Charlotte Hornets, would drafting Alabama's Collin Sexton be Kemba Walker 2.0?," 14 June 2018
In turn, Apple has reportedly met with Snap, Pinterest, and other companies to gauge interest in an Apple ad network that would distribute ads across all their collective apps on iOS.

— ashley carman, The Verge, "Apple is focusing on its ad sales business because smartphone sales won’t cut it," 1 June 2018
This source also confirmed that Bolton recently called Egypt's acting intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, to gauge whether his country would be willing to contribute to the effort, a detail previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.

— zachary cohen, CNN, "Bolton dealing to build an Arab military force in Syria," 18 Apr. 2018
The Rhode Island test would have to be repeated — the second time with a citizenship question at the end — to gauge whether there is a decrease in participation, but there are no plans to do that.

— michelle r. smith, BostonGlobe.com, "A test of the 2020 census in Rhode Island brings out critics," 7 Apr. 2018
MADISON - Wisconsin and federal officials plan to gauge how vulnerable the state’s elections systems are to hacking during a two-week test as soon as this spring.

— patrick marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin to test voter system vulnerability to Russia or other hacking," 13 Mar. 2018
Last week's special primary was the first time Arizona voters had a chance to gauge whether the national trend was at work here as well.

— ronald j. hansen, azcentral, "West Valley primary turnout lifts Democratic hopes of competing in red Arizona," 7 Mar. 2018
Fatou Bensouda, a prosecutor for the international court, said in a statement that the inquiry would gauge whether there was enough evidence to build a case.

— felipe villamor, New York Times, "International Criminal Court Will Investigate Duterte Over Drug War," 8 Feb. 2018