Gouge

/ɡaʊdʒ/

Meaning & Definition

noun

a chisel with a curved blade used in carpentry or sculpture.

He chose a large gouge to create deeper cuts in the wood.

an indentation or groove left after gouging.

There was a noticeable gouge on the surface of the table after the accident.

an act of overcharging someone, usually in terms of pricing.

They considered the high ticket prices to be a gouge.

verb

to make a shallow hole or groove in (something) with a sharp or pointed object.

He used a chisel to gouge out the center of the wooden block.

to forcefully cut or remove material from (something) in a rough manner.

The sculptor needed to gouge the stone in order to form the desired shape.

Middle English 'gouge', from Old French 'gauge', meaning 'to measure'.

gouge out someone's eyes

To cause severe injury, particularly to one's vision.

gouge a hole

To create a significant indentation or cavity in a surface.

chisel

A tool used for carving or cutting hard materials.

drill

A tool for making round holes or driving fasteners.

To cheat someone out of money.

That store really gouged me on that phone.

To take advantage of someone.

The ticket prices were gouged due to high demand.