gouging

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gouge

Gouging is when someone takes advantage of a situation by charging too much money or being unfair.

You might hear about gouging in situations like buying gas during an emergency. Imagine there's a big storm and people need to fill up their cars to evacuate, but the gas stations are raising their prices super high. That would be an example of gouging. The goal is not just to make a profit, but to take advantage of desperate people who really have no choice but to pay those prices.

How common is "gouging"?

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

Definitions

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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noun

A mark produced by gouging.

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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