gouge

1. 1.

   an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)

   Synonymsdentdingnick

   Broaderblemish

   Narrowerdig
2. 2.

   and edge tool with a blade like a trough for cutting channels or grooves

   Broaderedge tool
3. 3.

   the act of gouging

   Broadercreating by removal

1. 1.

   force with the thumb

   “gouge out his eyes”

   Synonymsforce out

   Broadermutilate
2. 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”

   Synonymsextortsqueezerackwring

   Broaderovercharge

   Narrowerbleed
3. 3.

   make a groove in

   Synonymsrout

   Broaderhollow

Other forms of gouge

plural

gouges·

past tense

gouged·

present participle

gouging·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about gouge

What does gouge mean?

gouge means "an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)". That is the primary sense; the word has 6 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in gouge?

gouge has 1 syllable: gouge. In IPA it is /ˈɡaʊdʒ/.

What is another word for gouge?

Close synonyms include dent, ding, nick, force out, extort. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is gouge a common word?

gouge is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.