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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouging
Noun
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Privacy enables: • Personal security: Public wealth visibility can lead to extortion, theft and physical harm.—
Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025 -
Chief among those figures tangled in what gradually emerges as a kidnapping and extortion scheme are globetrotting businesswoman Yuen Song (Levy Tran), who goes nowhere unflanked by her own two sneering bodyguards (Noah Fleder, Theodore Park).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Lars Baron/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe The ski jumping world remains embroiled in controversy stemming from a cheating scandal that was announced this week, initially involving a few members of the Norwegian team.—
Manuela López Restrepo,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
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Netflix’s first season of Temptation Island was filled with cheating men, frustrated women, and lots of flashing red lights as folks repeatedly hooked up in an outdoor tent.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
13 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Gouging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouging. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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