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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of gouging
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
Even if what Weyland-Yutani has is blood-sucking, eye-gouging, and chest-bursting alien monsters.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Time for the city to stop gouging us and start being more responsible with taxpayer money.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
The residency’s first nine shows were only available to Puerto Rico residents, and when tickets went on sale in January, the prices for all shows ranged between $35 and $250, a rarity in an era of concert price-gouging and Ticketmaster wars.
—Maya Rosenberg, NBC news, 13 Sep. 2025
Minadeo jumped on Buck's back and put him in a choke hold while gouging at his eyes, according to the lawsuit.
—Craig Shoup, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
The only tactics barred were eye gouging, groin strikes, and biting, none of which was especially policed.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2025
Even if what Weyland-Yutani has is blood-sucking, eye-gouging, and chest-bursting alien monsters.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Time for the city to stop gouging us and start being more responsible with taxpayer money.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 2025
The residency’s first nine shows were only available to Puerto Rico residents, and when tickets went on sale in January, the prices for all shows ranged between $35 and $250, a rarity in an era of concert price-gouging and Ticketmaster wars.
—Maya Rosenberg, NBC news, 13 Sep. 2025
Minadeo jumped on Buck's back and put him in a choke hold while gouging at his eyes, according to the lawsuit.
—Craig Shoup, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gouging
Noun
-
Last year, the federal government sent hundreds of troops to Michoacan to protect lime growers complaining of extortion threats.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Crypto crimes once contained to online harassment now often include kidnapping, extortion, and armed threats.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On the other side, the investigative news site Mediapart, which first broke news of Sarkozy’s Libya link, and other progressive titles delivered stinging editorials on his conduct.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The production was plagued by hurricanes, tsunami warnings, stinging jellyfish and several injuries — including Costner, who almost died while riding out a storm stranded atop a mast after his safety line had snapped.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These defendants, which include former professional athletes, used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Naroditsky, whose cause of death has not been made public, had vigorously denied cheating, and other chess champions agreed the claims were baseless.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
California is the biggest target after the state self-reported overcharging the federal government for health care services delivered to immigrants without legal status, determined to be at least $500 million, spurring the threat of a lawsuit.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Sep. 2025
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California is the biggest target after the state self-reported overcharging the federal government for health care services delivered to immigrants without legal status, determined to be at least $500 million, spurring the threat of a lawsuit.—
Angela Hart,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gouging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gouging. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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