Definition

1. Noun:

   • A rough hole or groove in a surface: A mark or indentation made by forcefully removing material, often as if by scooping.
   • A chisel with a curved blade: A type of edge tool designed for cutting rounded grooves or channels in wood or other materials.
   • The act of making such a hole or groove: The action of cutting or scooping out material to form a hollow.

2. Verb:

   • To cut or scoop out roughly: To make a hole, groove, or indentation in something by using force to remove material.
   • To obtain something by force or threats: To get money or something valuable from someone through coercion, intimidation, or unfair means.
   • To press or force with the thumb: To jab or press hard with a thumb or similar object.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The vandal left a deep gouge in the car's paint.
  • The carpenter used a gouge to shape the wooden bowl.
  • The act of gouging the wood required great skill.

• Verb:

  • He used a stick to gouge his initials into the wet clay.
  • The corrupt official tried to gouge money from the local businesses.
  • In the fight, he tried to gouge his opponent's eye.

Advanced Usage

• "to gouge out": To remove something by cutting or scooping it from its surrounding material.

  • The surgeon had to gouge out the infected tissue.
  • Legend says pirates would gouge out the eyes of their captives.

• Economic/Price Gouging: The unethical practice of charging excessively high prices for essential goods or services, especially during a crisis.

  • After the hurricane, the state prosecuted stores for price gouging on bottled water.

Variants and Related Words

• Gouger (noun): A person or tool that gouges. Often used to describe someone who engages in price gouging.
  • The merchant was labeled a gouger for his exorbitant prices.

Synonyms

• Verb (to cut): Scoop, chisel, groove, scratch, dig.
• Verb (to extort): Extort, squeeze, wrest, milk, fleece.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Gouge out: (As covered in Advanced Usage) To remove by gouging.
  • The animal gouged out a burrow in the hillside.

Related Idioms

• "Gouge someone's eyes out": A hyperbolic or violent expression meaning to attack someone's eyes, often used as a threat or to describe extreme aggression.
  • She was so angry she threatened to gouge his eyes out.
• "Gouge prices" / "Price gouging": (As covered in Advanced Usage) To charge outrageously high prices.

Noun

1. the act of gouging
2. and edge tool with a blade like a trough for cutting channels or grooves
3. an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)

Verb

1. make a groove in
2. obtain by coercion or intimidation
   • They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss
   • They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him
3. force with the thumb
   • gouge out his eyes