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
The bullets shattered nine panes of glass, their wooden framework gouged by bullet fragments.
—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
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
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouged
Verb
-
While the driver was unharmed, per the station, CBS affiliate KFDM-TV in Beaumont said its photographer was stung once while at the scene, according to KBTX.
-
Drivers stung by high gas prices have enjoyed some welcome relief over recent weeks, however, even as the impact of the Iran war continues to choke off oil supply.
Verb
-
Revote to be held in Hempstead Candidate Caprice Rines said she and the two others vying for the seat have been cheated.
-
The fans were cheated Sunday out of a chance to see an interesting pitching matchup between Shota Imanaga and Dylan Cease, the former Cubs farmhand and former White Sox pitcher.
Verb
-
Cobalt supply chains are plagued by unethical mining practices in remote regions worldwide, and the material itself poses a notable safety hazard due to its tendency to catch fire or short-circuit when overcharged.
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What follows is less about whether you are being overcharged and more about who, exactly, is deciding your number.
Verb
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Domestic flights will also get surcharged.
Verb
-
He was covered from neck to boots in fabrics soaked with permethrin—a pesticide modelled on the toxic pyrethrin found in chrysanthemum flowers.
-
Today, the England and Panama flags looked completely soaked by the time they were rolled up again.
Cite this Entry
“Gouged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouged. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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