as in stung
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 gouged
Successive hurricanes had gouged a hole in the Sunshine State, leaving several private carriers insolvent — and leaving hundreds of thousands of their customers with no choice but Citizens.
—
Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
But a low spot in the ocean, a channel gouged down into the sand on the ocean surface, or a break in a sandbar, can disrupt that flow and push water through the spot to create a current much more powerful than the surrounding flow.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
The greedy people will get theirs when people get fed up with being gouged at every turn.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
But a low spot in the ocean, a channel gouged down into the sand on the ocean surface, or a break in a sandbar, can disrupt that flow and push water through the spot to create a current much more powerful than the surrounding flow.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
The greedy people will get theirs when people get fed up with being gouged at every turn.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouged
Verb
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My eyes stung, the tears ready to spill.—
Sofía Pereda,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
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Algren, stung by Beauvoir’s independence, treated her miserably.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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James' office probed allegations that the organization inflated the former president's net worth by billions of dollars and cheated lenders and others with false and misleading financial statements.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
9 Oct. 2025
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Learn about the latest scam that has cheated companies out of millions.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Flat-rate pricing leads to value misalignment, high-usage customers feel undercharged, and low-usage customers feel overcharged.—
Chris Kent,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Get soaked on the log flume or see a concert at Pirates World?—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
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Some of the storm’s heaviest rain has already soaked the Carolinas, but an additional 1 to 3 inches is possible from the mid-Atlantic to Northeast into Tuesday.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gouged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouged. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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