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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Recent Examples of gouge
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Then thunder crashes and a hand with an open wound gets gouged open.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for gouge
Verb
Nobody likes being price gouged, whether at the gas pump, ticket purchase, or a rideshare.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Then thunder crashes and a hand with an open wound gets gouged open.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
But hey, whiskey nerds are gonna whiskey nerd and whiskey sellers are gonna gouge.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for gouge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouge
Verb
-
And they are left victorious at trial but still stinging from the episode.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Bass faced stinging criticism over her absence from the city when the fire broke out and her handling of the recovery.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Rotund ewes are sometimes prone to getting pinned upside down in hollows by their own weight.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Maron explained that storms can dislodge baby birds from their nests, sweep young animals out of tree hollows and even flood ground nests used by cottontails and skunks.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In two cases, the DMV fined them a total of $5,000 for overcharging people to get their vehicles after a tow and ordered Lombard to return more than $1,000 to the vehicle owners.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In two cases, the DMV fined them a total of $5,000 for overcharging people to get their vehicles after a tow and ordered Lombard to return more than $1,000 to the vehicle owners.—
Ginny Monk,
ProPublica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These are some of the heaviest grooves that Seefeel have created in ages, channeling lurching currents through intricate chains of dub delay.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
-
Plan to deep clean your shower door each month, getting into grooves and corners where buildup occurs.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Fred, their oldest surviving child, was suspended from Princeton for cheating, then caught embezzling from his Seattle employer to feed, Church suspected, a gambling habit.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Venezuela contends the Americans and Europeans conspired to cheat their country out of the land.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
In the case of a puncture, the rider will be warned immediately, which prevents further damage to the wheel and improves safety.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Massachusetts law requires utility companies to collect an energy efficiency surcharge on all Massachusetts energy consumers.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Domestic flights will also get surcharged.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Khazar, her husband Dino Elyassnia and Momeni's mother Mahnaz Tayarani were named in the suit, which also included the Portside Apartment Buildings in San Francisco where Lee collapsed from his stab wounds, CBS News reported.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
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Andy Pages tapped the top of his helmet as plate umpire Chris Guccione wound up to punch him out, taking one final stab at extending the Dodgers’ scoring opportunity in the eighth inning.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gouge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouge. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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