gouge

[ɡaʊdʒ]

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gouging - gouge

A gouge is an area of ground or surface that's been cut or dug out. It can also refer to a tool used for removing material from something.

You might have seen a pothole on the road and thought it was just a hole, but it's actually a kind of gouge in the asphalt. When we talk about a gouge, we usually mean an area that's been damaged or carved out somehow. It can happen naturally with weathering or erosion, or it can be caused by human actions like construction or mining. Think of a river cutting through rock over time - that's a kind of gradual gouging action. If you're a woodworker or DIY enthusiast, you might use a gouge tool to carefully remove small amounts of material from a piece of wood, which is a more deliberate and controlled kind of gouging.

How common is "gouge"?

Word gouge is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

Senses relating to cutting tools.
A cut or groove, as left by a gouge or something sharp.
Example: The nail left a deep gouge in the tire.
(originally United States) An act of gouging.
A cheat, a fraud; an imposition.
An impostor.
Soft material lying between the wall of a vein and the solid vein of ore.
Information.

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swindle

verb

To make a groove, hole, or mark in by scooping with or as if with a gouge.
Example: Japanese and Chinese printers used to gouge characters in wood.
To cheat or impose upon; in particular, to charge an unfairly or unreasonably high price.
Example: The company has no competition, so it tends to gouge its customers.
To dig or scoop (something) out with or as if with a gouge; in particular, to use a thumb to push or try to push the eye (of a person) out of its socket.
To use a gouge.

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Real examples of "gouging" in context

How Dangerous is a Penny Dropped From a Skyscraper?

Entertainment

I start to imagine pennies gouging into my shoulders.

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