gage

noun

ˈgāj How to pronounce gage (audio)
Definition of gagenext
as in guarantee
something given or held to assure that the giver will keep a promise in the old days a sheriff would take gage in the form of personal goods from an accused person who then had to appear in court or forfeit the goods

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gage Water on the Town and Country hotel parking lot adjacent to the river and USGS gage. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 Jan. 2026 The analysis tracked all the instances in which the gages reached a daily average height at or above flooding levels since the year 2000. — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025 The initial symptoms may present as constipation; poor feeding; a drooping eyelid; sluggish pupils; flattened facial expression; diminished suck and gage reflexes; weak and altered cry and respiratory difficulty, the CDC adds. — Max Rego, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2025 From the San Luis Valley in Colorado to below Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico, the compact called for gages to monitor the river, ensuring downstream obligations were met. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gage
  1. guarantee
  2. pledge
  3. security
Noun
  • Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Marley Spoon says its products are backed by a freshness and quality guarantee for four days after a subscription box arrives.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of guarantee
Noun
  • The most concrete commitment on the table is a pledge that the combined company will release at least 30 films a year in theaters, which Paramount has offered to put in writing for AMC, Regal and now other chains, potentially backed by penalties.
    — Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The visiting leaders took to Kyiv pledges of further military and financial support.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of pledge
Noun
  • But the war’s unintended consequences have spread far beyond the Middle East, affecting global security, diminishing America’s global standing, and potentially providing its adversaries with an opportunity to expand their influence.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • By 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, Europe was deeply dependent for its security on the United States, which was already tied up in the Middle East and increasingly focused on China’s rising military power.
    — JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of security

Browse Nearby Words

gaga (over)
gage
gages
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gage. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on gage

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gage

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All