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Glite Dictionary
to gouge the customer

to gouge the customer

1 8.2
Charge customers much more than is fair
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : estafar al cliente
  • The insurers were trying to gouge customers by removing themselves from liability if hurricane damage was not covered, even though it was not a hurricane when it caused the damage.

Examples

  • These bad dealerships perform unnecessary repairs to drive up the repair bills, and when the opportunity arises, will gouge the customer with price mark-up.

    Blog text (15)

  • He felt it was wrong to gouge the customer by increasing prices during the holiday season.

  • "No other modern country gives corporations the unfettered power found in America to gouge customers, shortchange workers, and erect barriers to fair play.

    Blog text (3)

  • Many people believe that raising prices during emergencies is a way to gouge the customer unfairly.

  • The restaurant was criticized for trying to gouge the customer with hidden fees on their bills.

Synonyms

to rob
vsto gouge the customer
  • Informal
73 6.4

To charge someone a much higher price than usual

describes the act as an unfair price rise rather than casual slang
to overcharge
vsto gouge the customer
18 3.4

To ask someone for more money than a fair price

is stronger and stresses deliberate, large and unfair price increases
to fleece
vsto gouge the customer
  • Informal
14 8.5

Charge someone too much money

focuses more on price increases rather than broader swindling tactics
to soak
vsto gouge the customer
  • Informal
8 8.7

Charge someone much more than a fair price

is specifically about raising prices unfairly rather than general cheating
to gouge
vsto gouge the customer
  • NSFW
8 8.3

To get money unfairly from someone by forcing them to pay too much

is about unfair price increases without requiring threats or physical pressure
to hook
vsto gouge the customer
  • Informal
7 8.1

To charge someone too much money for something

is the same unfair pricing but described in a formal complaint sense
to overbill
vsto gouge the customer
2 6.1

Charge someone more money than they should pay for goods or services

is broader, covering direct price hikes rather than billing or invoicing errors
to hike up the prices
vsto gouge the customer
1 4.8

To raise prices by a large amount, often suddenly

is about unfair overcharging of individual customers rather than general sudden rises
to gouge on
vsto gouge the customer
9.1

Charge someone an unfairly high price

is the same idea focused on raising prices unfairly rather than other methods
to surcharge
vsto gouge the customer
6.0

Add an extra fee to a price, often for a special service

targets unfair price increases rather than simply adding a separate extra charge

How Expensive

to gouge the customer
1 8.2
to rip off
  • Informal
76 6.5
to overcharge
18 3.4
to charge
808 2.0

Surface Forms

gouge the customer infinitive
gouged the customer past
gouged the customer past participle
gouging the customer present participle
gouges the customer third person singular

Morphology

gouge + the + customer

The verb 'gouge' already carries the sense of demanding or taking money unfairly, and adding 'the customer' simply identifies the target; the overall meaning is a direct compositional combination of the constituents. This straightforward charge–target pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase gouge the customer comes from the image of someone using a sharp tool to gouge a deep cut and take away part of the wood or metal. That's why gouge the customer means 'to charge too much' or unfairly take money from a buyer.