( NAmE also gage ) / geɪdʒ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
(often in compounds) an instrument for measuring the amount or level of sth :
a fuel / petrol / temperature, etc. gauge
—picture at car
2.
a measurement of the width or thickness of sth :
What gauge of wire do we need?
3.
(also bore especially in BrE ) a measurement of the width of the barrel of a gun :
a 12-gauge shotgun
4.
the distance between the rails of a railway / railroad track or the wheels of a train :
standard gauge (= 56½ inches in Britain)
a narrow gauge (= narrower than standard) railway
5.
[ usually sing. ] gauge (of sth) a fact or an event that can be used to estimate or judge sth :
Tomorrow's game against Arsenal will be a good gauge of their promotion chances.
■ verb
1.
to make a judgement about sth, especially people's feelings or attitudes :
[ vn ]
They interviewed employees to gauge their reaction to the changes.
He tried to gauge her mood.
[ v wh- ]
It was difficult to gauge whether she was angry or not.
2.
[ vn ] to measure sth accurately using a special instrument :
precision instruments that can gauge the diameter to a fraction of a millimetre
3.
to calculate sth approximately :
[ vn ]
We were able to gauge the strength of the wind from the movement of the trees.
[also v wh- ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a standard measure): from Old French gauge (noun), gauger (verb), variant of Old Northern French jauge (noun), jauger (verb), of unknown origin.