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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
The Nuggets have lost plenty of playoff games the past two springs, but few have stung like this.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Meyer acknowledged the logic behind preparing Nick Bosa for the NFL Draft but admitted the choice still stung as the Buckeyes chased a title.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The reportedly yearlong relationship is notable in that, after their split in 2015, Stocking posted and deleted tweets saying the basketball player cheated, per The New York Post.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This is the same team that cheated and got caught how many times, going back to Bill Belichick and golden boy Tom Brady (Deflategate)?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The jury found that fans were overcharged for tickets as a direct result of this monopoly, paying higher fees for their tickets.—
Letitia James,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
-
On Wednesday, a New York federal jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Domestic flights will also get surcharged.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But that would lead to long lines of impatient and, let’s face it, rather demanding party guests snaking around the hotel (and potentially getting soaked, in Saturday’s dreadful weather).—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gouged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouged. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
