1
: a narrow passage through land
especially : a narrow steep-walled canyon or part of a canyon
2
: throat
often used with rise to indicate revulsion accompanied by a sensation of constriction
My gorge rises at the sight of blood.
3
a
: a hawk's crop
b
4
: the entrance into an outwork (such as a bastion) of a fort
5
: a primitive device used instead of a fishhook that consists of an object (such as a piece of bone attached in the middle of a line) easy to swallow but difficult to eject
6
: a mass choking a passage
a river dammed by an ice gorge
7
: the line on the front of a coat or jacket formed by the crease of the lapel and collar

gorge

2 of 3

verb

gorged; gorging

intransitive verb

: to eat greedily or to repletion
also : to partake of something in large amounts
gorging on books

transitive verb

1
a
: to stuff to capacity : glut
b
: to fill completely or to the point of distension
veins gorged with blood
2
: to consume greedily
gorger noun

gorge

3 of 3

noun (2)

: the act or an instance of gorging
Choose the Right Synonym for gorge

satiate, sate, surfeit, cloy, pall, glut, gorge mean to fill to repletion.

satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

Examples of gorge in a Sentence

Noun (1) walked the bridge over the gorge, marveling at the spectacular drop Verb We gorged on chips and cookies. We gorged ourselves on chips and cookies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
When their security is breached, Levi falls into the gorge and Drasa goes after him. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024 But after a mishap and with the unseen evil lurking in the depths below, the budding romance morphs into a rescue mission when Levi falls into the gorge and Drasa dives in to the abyss to try and save him. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
Russian unemployment is at an historic low of 2.4 percent while China and, to a lesser extent, India have been gorging themselves on cheap Russian commodities. Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 The trout filled their bellies and their mouths and still continued gorging. David Quammen, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gorge 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Verb, and Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin gurga, alteration of gurges, from Latin, whirlpool — more at voracious

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gorge was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gorge

Cite this Entry

“Gorge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gorge. Accessed 28 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

: a narrow passage, ravine, or steep-walled canyon

gorge

2 of 2 verb
gorged; gorging
: to eat greedily : stuff oneself
gorger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on gorge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!