Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Gauge

//ˈɡeɪd͡ʒ// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name.
Noun
  1. 1
    A measure; a standard of measure; an instrument to determine dimensions, distance, or capacity; a standard countable, uncountable

    "1780, Edmund Burke, speech at The Guildhall, in Bristol the gauge and dimensions of misery, depression, and contempt"

  2. 2
    a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc. wordnet
  3. 3
    An act of measuring. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    diameter of a tube or gun barrel wordnet
  5. 5
    An estimate. countable, uncountable
Show 17 more definitions
  1. 6
    the thickness of wire wordnet
  2. 7
    Any instrument for ascertaining or regulating the level, state, dimensions or forms of things countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    the distance between the rails of a railway or between the wheels of a train wordnet
  4. 9
    A thickness of sheet metal or wire designated by any of several numbering schemes, with lower numbers indicating larger size. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared wordnet
  6. 11
    Ellipsis of track gauge. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

    "It was Locke who concisely won the argument for a standardised gauge of 4ft 8½ inches over Brunel's 7ft 0 ¼in preference. […] Today, over 60% of the world's railways use that gauge."

  7. 12
    Ellipsis of loading gauge. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
  8. 13
    A semi-norm; a function that assigns a non-negative size to all vectors in a vector space. countable, uncountable
  9. 14
    The number of stitches per inch, centimetre, or other unit of distance. countable, uncountable
  10. 15
    Relative positions of two or more vessels with reference to the wind. countable, uncountable

    "A vessel has the weather gauge of another when on the windward side of it, and the lee gauge when on the lee side of it."

  11. 16
    The depth to which a vessel sinks in the water. countable, uncountable
  12. 17
    The quantity of plaster of Paris used with common plaster to make it set more quickly. countable, uncountable
  13. 18
    That part of a shingle, slate, or tile, which is exposed to the weather, when laid; also, one course of such shingles, slates, or tiles. countable, uncountable
  14. 19
    A unit of measurement which describes how many spheres of bore diameter of a shotgun can be had from one pound of lead; 12 gauge is roughly equivalent to .75 caliber. countable, uncountable
  15. 20
    A shotgun (synecdoche for 12 gauge shotgun, the most common chambering for combat and hunting shotguns). US, broadly, countable, slang, uncountable

    "I'm talking about cocking a gauge in between your eyes."

  16. 21
    A tunnel-like ear piercing consisting of a hollow ring embedded in the lobe. countable, uncountable

    "Jenni didn't really look as though she fit in with the rest of the girls here, she had a nose piercing and angel bites, her long curly dark brown hair with red highlights was pulled back exposing gauges and many other ear piercings and a tattoo […]"

  17. 22
    Cannabis. slang, uncountable

    "[…] smoking gauge was a new phenomenon to Himes: “When I looked up after turning the corner, all the grimy facades seemed to be a blaze of bright colors, gold, scarlet, blue, green, like an array of peacocks. […]"

Verb
  1. 1
    To measure or determine with a gauge; to measure the capacity of. transitive
  2. 2
    mix in specific proportions wordnet
  3. 3
    To estimate. transitive
  4. 4
    adapt to a specified measurement wordnet
  5. 5
    To appraise the character or ability of; to judge of. transitive

    "You shall not gauge me / By what we do to-night."

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    measure precisely and against a standard wordnet
  2. 7
    To draw into equidistant gathers by running a thread through it. transitive
  3. 8
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time) wordnet
  4. 9
    To mix (a quantity of ordinary plaster) with a quantity of plaster of Paris. transitive
  5. 10
    determine the capacity, volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation wordnet
  6. 11
    To chip, hew or polish (stones, bricks, etc) to a standard size and/or shape. transitive
  7. 12
    rub to a uniform size wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English gauge, gaugen, from Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French gauger (compare Modern French jauger from Old French jaugier), from gauge (“gauging rod”), from Frankish *galga (“measuring rod, pole”), from Proto-Germanic *galgô (“pole, stake, cross”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“perch, long switch”). Cognate with Old High German galgo, Old Frisian galga, Old English ġealga (“cross-beam, gallows”), Old Norse galgi (“cross-beam, gallows”), Old Norse gelgja (“pole, perch”). Doublet of gallows.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gauge, gaugen, from Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French gauger (compare Modern French jauger from Old French jaugier), from gauge (“gauging rod”), from Frankish *galga (“measuring rod, pole”), from Proto-Germanic *galgô (“pole, stake, cross”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“perch, long switch”). Cognate with Old High German galgo, Old Frisian galga, Old English ġealga (“cross-beam, gallows”), Old Norse galgi (“cross-beam, gallows”), Old Norse gelgja (“pole, perch”). Doublet of gallows.

See also for "gauge"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: gauge