gorge
gb/ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒ/ us/ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒ/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
narrow valley with steep sides
a deep narrow valley with steep sides
Usage pattern:
a gorge; the gorge of [river/place]
Synonyms
canyon (often larger and especially associated with desert landscapes.)
|
ravine (often smaller and less dramatic.)
Antonyms
plain (flat land with little or no steep relief.)
Collocations
deep gorge
|steep-sided gorge
|narrow gorge
|river gorge
|mountain gorge
|a gorge cuts through the rock
|a gorge was carved by a river
|look down into the gorge
|cross the gorge
|gorge walls
Themes
nature
|geography
|travel
Examples
- The trail follows the river as it winds through the gorge.
- They stopped at the viewpoint to watch mist rising from the gorge below.
- A narrow bridge spans the gorge between the cliffs.
Learner examples
- We walked along a gorge.
- The river runs through the gorge.
Verb
B2
action
2
eat too much greedily
to eat a lot, too quickly
Usage pattern:
gorge (on) [food]; gorge yourself (on) [food]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse gorge (eat too much) with gorgeous (very beautiful).
Synonyms
stuff yourself (more informal; emphasizes eating until uncomfortably full.)
|
binge (often suggests a loss of control and may imply a repeated pattern.)
|
gobble (focuses on eating very quickly.)
Antonyms
nibble (eat very small amounts slowly.)
|
fast (avoid eating for a period of time.)
Collocations
gorge on chocolate
|gorge on snacks
|gorge on junk food
|gorge yourself
|gorge yourself on pizza
|gorge at the buffet
|gorge on sweets
|gorge on pastries
|gorge on rich food
|gorge before bedtime
Themes
food
|daily_life
|health
Examples
- We gorged on pizza after the game.
- He tends to gorge himself when he's stressed.
- They gorged at the buffet and regretted it later.
Learner examples
- I gorged on cake.
- Don’t gorge yourself before dinner.
Verb
literary
C1
process
3
fill or clog completely
to fill something until it is blocked
Usage pattern:
be gorged with [something]; gorge [something] with [something]
Synonyms
clog (more common; emphasizes blocking the flow.)
|
choke (suggests narrowing or obstructing a passage.)
|
stuff (informal; focuses on forcing too much into a space.)
Antonyms
clear (remove what is blocking so flow is possible.)
|
empty (remove the contents so it is no longer full.)
Collocations
be gorged with debris
|be gorged with mud
|gorged with sediment
|a channel is gorged
|a pipe is gorged
|gorged with leaves
Themes
daily_life
|technology
|environment
Examples
- After the storm, the drain was gorged with leaves and silt.
- The narrow channel became gorged with ice, pushing water onto the road.
- The filter quickly gorged with dust in the dry air.
Learner examples
- The pipe was gorged with dirt.
Noun
archaic
C2
entity
4
throat or gullet
the throat (old use)
Usage pattern:
the gorge
Synonyms
throat (the modern, neutral word.)
|
gullet (more anatomical and old-fashioned.)
Collocations
rise in the gorge
|tight at the gorge
|hand at his gorge
Themes
body
|health
Examples
- The actor clutched his gorge as if he could hardly breathe.
- In the old ballad, grief rose in his gorge and stopped his voice.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gorge
IPA
GB/ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒ/
US/ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒ/
Syllables & stress
gorge (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (gorge)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gorge
- Plural: gorges
Verb
- Base: gorge
- 3rd Person Singular: gorges
- Present Participle: gorging
- Past: gorged
Word family
Forms
gorges
noun
gorging
verb
gorged
verb
Expressions
be gorged with
1/bˈi ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒd wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
literary
be completely filled or blocked
to be full and blocked by something
Examples
- By morning the stream was gorged with fallen branches.
- The narrow pass was gorged with snow after the blizzard.
- The machine stopped because the intake was gorged with dust.
gorge on
1/ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒ ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
eat a lot of something
to eat a lot of something
Examples
- We gorged on pancakes all weekend.
- Tourists were gorging on street food at the festival.
- She tried not to gorge on sweets during the week.
gorge yourself
1/ɡˈɔɹd͡ʒ jʊɹsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
eat until you are too full
to eat too much
Examples
- Don’t gorge yourself before the main course arrives.
- He gorged himself and then felt sick.
- They gorged themselves on cake at the party.