as in extortion
the exaction of a grossly excessive charge for goods or services
a hotline that consumers may use to report gouging at gasoline stations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in stinging
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gouging
Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
The public better wake up, because the creativity of the MTA, and Hochul’s gouging of a disinterested and unwise public, have no limits.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Furniture pads on the bottoms of heavy furniture help protect laminate flooring from scratches and gouging.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Bradley stumbles on Zuri’s body and confronts Linda, resulting in a brutal fight that includes stabbing, scalp ripping, and some really upsetting eye gouging.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
In the past, Amazon has suppressed easily accessible buy buttons to prevent price-gouging or pressure brands to lower prices to match pricing on their own website or competitors.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
As the tournament approaches, some Kansas Citians have raised concerns over the condition of some short-term rentals, price-gouging, or, at the very least, offering subpar properties for premium prices.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 10 Dec. 2025
Curtain calls Pankration was a form of sport invented by the ancient Greeks, a combination of wrestling and boxing in which almost everything short of biting and gouging was permitted.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2025
The only tactics barred were eye gouging, groin strikes, and biting, none of which was especially policed.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
However, the number of rent-gouging complaints received by the county continues to increase.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
As much as $49 million in rent may have been illegally collected, with 42% of price-gouging listings concentrated in areas where fire victims relocated.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The price-gouging allegation dates back to the early months of the pandemic, when panic over shortages led to massive supermarket shopping sprees, and some products, such as eggs, saw sharp price increases.
—Imelda García, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Those dollars have been won through cases the district attorney has joined against major corporations, including price-gouging lawsuits against Walmart and Lowe’s, an environmental lawsuit against Tesla and a case alleging deceptive business practices by HelloFresh, a meal-kit subscription company.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Add Tree Guards Although rabbits will sometimes nibble on tree bark in winter, deer are more likely to do serious damage to young trees, either by stripping tree bark away with their teeth or gouging holes in the bark with their antlers.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Dec. 2025
Ahead of its biggest ever World Cup tournament, FIFA has been accused of greed on an industrial scale, gouging the pockets of supporters who are the lifeblood of the game.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
At least the climactic pandemonium has some of that old REC intensity; Plaza dynamically orchestrates the violence, dazzling the eyes of his audience one minute, gouging the eyes of his characters the next.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
President Lee Jae Myung also advised his government to crack down on oil refinery companies and gas stations to prevent price-gouging while making efforts to secure supply ships that do not pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
The public better wake up, because the creativity of the MTA, and Hochul’s gouging of a disinterested and unwise public, have no limits.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Furniture pads on the bottoms of heavy furniture help protect laminate flooring from scratches and gouging.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 23 Feb. 2026
Soon after, Bradley stumbles on Zuri’s body and confronts Linda, resulting in a brutal fight that includes stabbing, scalp ripping, and some really upsetting eye gouging.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
In the past, Amazon has suppressed easily accessible buy buttons to prevent price-gouging or pressure brands to lower prices to match pricing on their own website or competitors.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
As the tournament approaches, some Kansas Citians have raised concerns over the condition of some short-term rentals, price-gouging, or, at the very least, offering subpar properties for premium prices.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 10 Dec. 2025
Curtain calls Pankration was a form of sport invented by the ancient Greeks, a combination of wrestling and boxing in which almost everything short of biting and gouging was permitted.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Nov. 2025
The only tactics barred were eye gouging, groin strikes, and biting, none of which was especially policed.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
Gillett contended the utilities were gouging the public.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
However, the number of rent-gouging complaints received by the county continues to increase.
—Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
As much as $49 million in rent may have been illegally collected, with 42% of price-gouging listings concentrated in areas where fire victims relocated.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The price-gouging allegation dates back to the early months of the pandemic, when panic over shortages led to massive supermarket shopping sprees, and some products, such as eggs, saw sharp price increases.
—Imelda García, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Those dollars have been won through cases the district attorney has joined against major corporations, including price-gouging lawsuits against Walmart and Lowe’s, an environmental lawsuit against Tesla and a case alleging deceptive business practices by HelloFresh, a meal-kit subscription company.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Add Tree Guards Although rabbits will sometimes nibble on tree bark in winter, deer are more likely to do serious damage to young trees, either by stripping tree bark away with their teeth or gouging holes in the bark with their antlers.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Dec. 2025
Ahead of its biggest ever World Cup tournament, FIFA has been accused of greed on an industrial scale, gouging the pockets of supporters who are the lifeblood of the game.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
At least the climactic pandemonium has some of that old REC intensity; Plaza dynamically orchestrates the violence, dazzling the eyes of his audience one minute, gouging the eyes of his characters the next.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouging
Noun
-
Noboa has spent the past two years targeting cocaine traffickers, but the rates of associated crimes including murders, disappearances and extortion have not fallen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Despite that, the armed groups have continued to wreak havoc, collecting millions of dollars in extortion fees from toll roads and their control of strategic corridors leading to the country’s seaports and land border with the neighboring Dominican Republic.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Alcohol can be stinging and drying to the skin.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Meta had the worst week in the group, dropping more than 11% after two stinging court defeats added to the social media company's challenges.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There is no rampant cheating or election fraud in California.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Research shows that artificial intelligence tools can support learning, but also has raised concerns, including students’ overreliance, cheating, and the potential degradation of critical thinking and engagement.—
Jeanne Beatrix Law,
The Conversation,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These panels feed electricity to a charge controller, which manages how the battery is charged to prevent overcharging.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Twenty-five of the states that are part of the DOJ suit are also seeking damages from Live Nation, alleging that Ticketmaster has been overcharging fans.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Merchants would gain surcharging flexibility and those that accept one of a network’s credit cards would no longer have to accept all of them.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gouging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouging. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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