gauge (n.)

  1. a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc.

    [ Syn: gage ]

  2. accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared

    [ Syn: standard of measurement ]

  3. the distance between the rails of a railway or between the wheels of a train

  4. the thickness of wire

  5. diameter of a tube or gun barrel

    [ Syn: bore , caliber , calibre ]

    gauge (v.)

  1. judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time); I estimate this chicken to weigh three pounds

    [ Syn: estimate , approximate , guess , judge ]

  2. rub to a uniform size; gauge bricks'

  3. determine the capacity, volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation; gauge the wine barrels'

  4. measure precisely and against a standard; the wire is gauged'

  5. adapt to a specified measurement; gauge the instruments'

  6. mix in specific proportions; gauge plaster'

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2011 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.