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
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
In a development as predictable as the Yankees overpaying for talent, viewers grew increasingly weary of getting gouged like that and responded with a wave of cord-cutting that has now ensured that OPM is no longer a viable option for RSNs.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026
The department was able to give back about $103,891 in restitution to the tenant who was gouged, Carbajal said.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
Scheffler pushed his drive into the right fairway bunker on the par-4, could only advance the ball 54 yards into the left rough and gouged his third shot short of the green.
—John Marshall, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2026
After getting gouged repeatedly by bootleg play-action passes, screens and space plays over their first two series, the Pats struck back with a short-yardage stop and forced fumble on the next two series.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
At Dia, the cage has been reconstructed in full, complete with Hsieh’s boots and his tally marks gouged into the wall.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
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
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
In a development as predictable as the Yankees overpaying for talent, viewers grew increasingly weary of getting gouged like that and responded with a wave of cord-cutting that has now ensured that OPM is no longer a viable option for RSNs.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 11 Mar. 2026
The department was able to give back about $103,891 in restitution to the tenant who was gouged, Carbajal said.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
Scheffler pushed his drive into the right fairway bunker on the par-4, could only advance the ball 54 yards into the left rough and gouged his third shot short of the green.
—John Marshall, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2026
After getting gouged repeatedly by bootleg play-action passes, screens and space plays over their first two series, the Pats struck back with a short-yardage stop and forced fumble on the next two series.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
At Dia, the cage has been reconstructed in full, complete with Hsieh’s boots and his tally marks gouged into the wall.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouged
Verb
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Santos stung a volley from outside the box midway through the second half after juggling the ball with her knee, but Silkowitz dived to her right to push the ball wide of the post.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Anyone who is stung repeatedly or has trouble breathing should call 911.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The chat room was on fire, because Magnus Carlsen had lost to the kid—Hans Niemann—and then implied that Hans had cheated.—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Paul Bearman isn’t the type to just move on after he’s been cheated.—
Rich Schapiro,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Electric scooters use lithium-ion batteries, which can pose a fire risk if overcharged or charged using the wrong charging equipment.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Walgreens has agreed to pay $6 million in a settlement to a lawsuit filed by several district attorney’s offices across California alleging that the drug store chain overcharged customers and sold expired over-the-counter products in violation of state law, prosecutors said.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Domestic flights will also get surcharged.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kansas City is about to get soaked.—
Robert A. Cronkleton
March 31,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Despite the intense heat of the last few days is not yet enough to bring drought to a region that was soaked by winter rain, but may make for a dangerous, fuel-heavy fire season, forecasters said Friday.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gouged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouged. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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