Gouge

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aÊŠdÍ¡Ê’

Origin

Noun from Old French gouge, itself from Late Latin gulbia ("piercer"), from Gaulish (compare Scottish Gaelic gilb ("chisel"), Welsh gylyf ("sickle")), from *gulbi ("beak") (compare Old Irish gulba, Welsh gylf, Old Breton golb).

Full definition of gouge

Noun

1. A cut or groove, as left by something sharp.The nail left a deep gouge in the tire.
2. A chisel, with a curved blade, for scooping or cutting holes, channels, or grooves, in wood, stone, etc.
• 1823, James Fenimore Cooper, ,The "steeple" was a little cupola, reared on the very centre of the roof, on four tall pillars of pine that were fluted with a gouge, and loaded with mouldings.
3. A bookbinder's tool with a curved face, used for blind tooling or gilding.
4. An incising tool that cuts forms or blanks for gloves, envelopes, etc.. from leather, paper, etc.
5. (mining) Soft material lying between the wall of a vein and the solid vein.
6. (slang) Imposition; cheat; fraud.
7. (slang) An impostor; a cheat.

Verb

1. (transitive) To make a mark or hole by scooping.Japanese and Chinese printers used to gouge characters in wood.
2. (transitive or intransitive) To push, or try to push the eye (of a person) out of its socket.
• 1930, Robert E. Howard, ,He tried to clinch and gouge, but another right hook to the jaw sent him down and out.
3. (transitive) To charge an unreasonably or unfairly high price.They have no competition, so they tend to gouge their customers.

Synonyms

• (make a mark or hole by scooping) engrave
• (charge an unreasonable price) swindle

Derived terms

• gouge out
• price gouging
• regouge

Related terms

• gouger