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
Dan Walters, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Time for the city to stop gouging us and start being more responsible with taxpayer money.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
PBMs actively exploit this lack of price transparency to gouge patients and employers alike.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gouge
Verb
There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Time for the city to stop gouging us and start being more responsible with taxpayer money.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
Others had gouge marks consistent with being struck with a cable or a chain.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
PBMs actively exploit this lack of price transparency to gouge patients and employers alike.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gouge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouge
Verb
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But voters who showed up to the polls on Tuesday had a different point of view and delivered stinging defeats to Republicans.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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In February, Vance delivered a stinging message to European allies, saying that the biggest threat to Europe did not come from Russia or China, but from within Europe itself, and that he was concerned Europe was moving toward censorship and away from democracy.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on haunted hollows and game-day glory.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
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On the back porch, the rolling green of the hollow holds the B&B as if in the palm of its meadowy hand.—
Sarah Henry,
Louisville Courier Journal,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Thermal runaway, or self-heating, can occur without warning in lithium batteries as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged or improperly packed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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That same year, millions of plaintiffs filed an antitrust class action lawsuit seeking over $1 billion in damages that alleged Sutter Health overcharged customers and companies for health care bills and discouraged clients from using other lower-cost services.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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From there, his sound became one of the most sought-after in the industry, shaping hits that blurred the lines between grit and groove.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Supernormal Andrew McConnell’s famed Melbourne institution has found its groove on the Brisbane River.—
Alli Forde,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The only reason that Bikini Frankenstein does not rank higher on this list is because putting a softcore porno at the top would feel like cheating.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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But like his predecessor, this Frankenstein is just as obsessed with immortality and cheating death through science.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Microneedling, also a popular cosmetic procedure, creates microscopic punctures in the skin to produce a similar effect, but does not use radiofrequency.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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Stolen hats, visible puncture marks, and advisories to wear hard hats in certain parts of the city have all been associated with the owl attacks.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But last month, SpaceX raised the demand surcharge to $500, then $750 before finally escalating it to an eye-popping $1,000.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 July 2025
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That surcharge alone erodes a meaningful slice of Qatar’s margin advantage over Henry-Hub-linked U.S. cargoes and is already pencilled into 2026 LNG tender models.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
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His head was swollen to twice its size, he’d been badly beaten and bruised, and there were two holes in his chest that could have been bullet or stab wounds.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Schroeder suffered multiple stab wounds and lacerations and died four days later, police said.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gouge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouge. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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