gauge

en
en
Change language
Translating...
Find language
Русский
Russian
Français
French
Español
Spanish
Deutsch
German
Português
Portuguese
/ɡeɪdʒ/
Add to My Dictionary
In My Dictionary
+1
A word for measuring or judging, the instrument or standard used for measurement, and specialized technical uses in physics and software monitoring.
Practice using gauge in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The diver checked the depth gauge before descending.
  • The teacher gauged the class's understanding from the questions.
  • The service exports a gauge for in-progress requests.
  • The dashboard shows a gauge for current memory usage.
  • The display acts as a simple gauge of battery charge.

Similar words

instantaneous metric
sensor
meter
spacing
field convention
size
phase convention
size up
instrument
dial

Meanings

Measure or judge

verb
measurement
neutral
To measure something, estimate its size or amount, or judge a reaction, feeling, risk, or situation from the evidence available.

Usage

Use gauge when the act involves measurement or informed judgment, from checking pressure to reading public opinion.

Examples

  • Engineers gauge the pressure before starting the test.
  • She gauged the crowd's reaction to the announcement.
  • The teacher gauged the class's understanding from the questions.
  • They are gauging demand for the new product.
  • He gauged the distance by eye.
  • It is hard to gauge the risk before the data arrives.

Common mistakes

Gauge is often confused with gaze, which means to look steadily.
IncorrectCorrect
He gauged at the stars for an hour. He gazed at the stars for an hour.
She gauge the pressure every morning. She gauges the pressure every morning.
We gauged to the crowd's reaction. We gauged the crowd's reaction.
They gauged the results without any evidence. They guessed the results without any evidence.

Similar words

measure
estimate
assess
judge
evaluate
size up
appraise

Measuring instrument

noun
measurement
neutral
An instrument, scale, dial, sensor, or display that measures and shows a quantity such as pressure, fuel level, depth, speed, or thickness.

Usage

Use gauge for the device or display that gives a reading, especially in compounds such as pressure gauge or fuel gauge.

Examples

  • The fuel gauge on the dashboard is almost empty.
  • A pressure gauge is fitted to the boiler.
  • The diver checked the depth gauge before descending.
  • The mechanic replaced a broken temperature gauge.
  • A feeler gauge measures the gap between two parts.
  • The display acts as a simple gauge of battery charge.

Common mistakes

The device sense is sometimes used where the measured reading is meant.
IncorrectCorrect
The gauge is ten pounds per square inch. The gauge reads ten pounds per square inch.
The car has low gauge. The fuel gauge shows a low level.
She watched the pressure meter gauge. She watched the pressure gauge.
The gauge looked the tank. The gauge measured the tank level.

Similar words

meter
indicator
instrument
dial
sensor
measuring tool
display

Size or standard

noun
technical
neutral
A standard size, thickness, diameter, spacing, or count, especially for wire, sheet metal, railway track, firearms, needles, or stitches in fabric.

Usage

Use gauge for a specified size or standard, and remember that in many wire and shotgun systems a smaller number means a larger diameter.

Examples

  • The railway uses standard gauge track.
  • Use the correct wire gauge for the circuit.
  • The pattern gives a gauge of twenty stitches per four inches.
  • A 12-gauge shotgun has a larger bore than a 20-gauge shotgun.
  • The sheet metal gauge affects how easily it bends.
  • The jeweler chose a thinner gauge for the earring wire.

Common mistakes

Gauge numbers are often read as ordinary measurements, although some systems run in the opposite direction.
IncorrectCorrect
A 20-gauge shotgun has a larger bore than a 12-gauge shotgun. A 12-gauge shotgun has a larger bore than a 20-gauge shotgun.
Higher wire gauge always means thicker wire. In American wire gauge, higher numbers mean thinner wire.
The railway gauge is the train's speed. The railway gauge is the distance between the rails.
My knitting gauge is the color of the yarn. My knitting gauge is the number of stitches and rows in a measured area.

Similar words

size
thickness
diameter
width
caliber
spacing
count

Physics convention

noun
physics
technical
A choice of mathematical description in physics or mathematics that can change without changing the observable physical situation.

Usage

Use gauge in physics for a convention, symmetry, field, or transformation where different descriptions represent the same observable state.

Examples

  • The calculation is simpler after choosing a convenient gauge.
  • Electromagnetism can be written as a gauge theory.
  • A gauge transformation changes the potentials, not the measured fields.
  • The physicist fixed the gauge before solving the equations.
  • Quantum chromodynamics is a non-abelian gauge theory.
  • The same field can be described in more than one gauge.

Common mistakes

The physics sense is often mistaken for an ordinary measuring instrument.
IncorrectCorrect
A gauge theory is a theory about pressure gauges. A gauge theory is a field theory with gauge symmetry.
Fix the gauge means repair the measuring dial. Fix the gauge means choose a mathematical convention.
Gauge symmetry changes the observed particle directly. Gauge symmetry changes the description while leaving observables unchanged.
The Coulomb gauge is a laboratory tool. The Coulomb gauge is a choice of electromagnetic potential.

Similar words

reference choice
field convention
variable choice
phase convention
mathematical convention

Monitoring metric

noun
technology
technical
A software-monitoring metric that represents a current value, such as temperature, memory use, queue length, or active requests, and may rise or fall over time.

Usage

Use gauge for a value that can go up and down, and contrast it with a counter, which normally only increases.

Examples

  • The dashboard shows a gauge for current memory usage.
  • A queue-length gauge rose sharply during the outage.
  • Use a gauge for the number of active connections.
  • The temperature gauge reports the latest sensor value.
  • The service exports a gauge for in-progress requests.
  • Unlike a counter, this gauge can go back down.

Common mistakes

A gauge metric is often confused with a counter that records cumulative increases.
IncorrectCorrect
Request totals should be stored as a gauge that resets whenever it falls. Request totals should usually be stored as a counter.
Current memory usage is a counter because it changes. Current memory usage is a gauge because it can rise and fall.
The gauge must only increase during the process. The gauge may increase or decrease during the process.
A queue length gauge records every completed job forever. A queue length gauge records the current number of queued jobs.

Similar words

current-value metric
level metric
state metric
instantaneous metric
measurement metric

Usage

Use context to tell whether gauge is the verb, a measuring device, a size standard, a physics convention, or a monitoring metric.

Common mistakes

Gage is a variant spelling in some technical terms, but gauge is the standard spelling for most general uses.

Etymology

From Anglo-French and Old North French forms connected with a measuring rod and the act of measuring. The spelling overlaps with the variant gage, which survives in some technical uses.

FAQ

What does gauge mean as a verb?

As a verb, gauge means to measure, estimate, or judge something from available evidence.

What is a gauge as a noun?

A gauge can be an instrument or display that measures something, such as a pressure gauge, fuel gauge, or depth gauge.

What does gauge mean in wire or metal sizes?

In wire, sheet metal, and similar systems, gauge means a standard size or thickness. In American wire gauge, higher numbers mean thinner wire.

What is railway gauge?

Railway gauge is the distance between the rails of a track.

What does gauge mean in knitting?

In knitting or crochet, gauge is the number of stitches and rows in a measured area of fabric.

What does gauge mean in physics?

In physics, gauge refers to a mathematical convention or symmetry where different descriptions leave the observable situation unchanged.

What is a gauge metric in software monitoring?

A gauge metric represents a current value that can go up or down, such as memory use or active requests.

Is gage the same as gauge?

Gage is a variant spelling used in some technical contexts, but gauge is the usual spelling in general English.

Comments & contributions

Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
Posting as a guest · Sign in
No comments yet. Be the first to add one.
Look up word or phrase...