gage

IPA/ɡeɪdʒ/
KK[ɡˈedʒ]IPA/ɡeɪdʒ/

gage — noun

  • gagesingular
  • gagesplural

1. a less common spelling of 'gauge'; any device or standard used to tell you a phy

1.nounB2
Definition

a less common spelling of 'gauge'; any device or standard used to tell you a physical dimension — something like how wide a railway line is, how thick a sheet of metal is, or how large around a wire or shotgun barrel is.

Example

Quan checked the air pressure in the tires with a metal gage.

countable noun: a measuring instrument

Standard rail gage in most countries is one thousand four hundred thirty-five millimeters.

Common collocations
  • rail gage
  • wire gage
  • sheet metal gage
  • pressure gage
  • 12-gage shotgun
  • standard gage
  • steam gage
Synonyms
  • gauge

    standard modern spelling; 'gage' is a variant

  • measurement

    broader term that can describe any quantified dimension

  • standard

    focuses on the fixed reference system rather than the instrument

Grammar Patterns

number-gage + noun (attributive)

adjective + gage

Usage Note

This sense is identical in meaning to 'gauge,' which is the more common spelling in modern English. You will most often see 'gage' in technical writing about metal thickness, wire diameter, shotgun bore size, and railway track width.

2. something valuable that a borrower gives to a lender as a promise that a loan wi

2.nounC1
Definition

something valuable that a borrower gives to a lender as a promise that a loan will be repaid; if the borrower fails to repay, the lender may keep or sell it to recover the money owed.

Example

The merchant left his gold pocket watch as a gage for the loan.

as a gage: given as security for a loan

The business loan required a gage, so Shanti offered her diamond necklace.

Common collocations
  • as a gage
  • give something as a gage
  • leave as a gage
  • hold as a gage
  • keep the gage
  • serve as a gage
Synonyms
  • collateral

    far more common in modern finance; refers to any asset backing a loan

  • security

    broad legal term for anything pledged to guarantee repayment

  • pledge

    emphasizes the act of giving a gage as a promise

Grammar Patterns

as a gage

give/leave + something + as a gage

Usage Note

Common in legal and financial documents. In modern everyday English, words like 'collateral' or 'security' are far more frequent. You may also see 'gage' in historical texts about old lending practices.

Common Mistakes

I gave my car as a gage to my friend when I borrowed money from him.
I gave my car as collateral when I borrowed money from the bank.
In casual borrowing between friends, 'gage' is too formal and unusual; use 'collateral' or 'security.'
Idioms

Thomas Gage

idiom

Thomas Gage (1721–1787), a British general who served as the military governor of Massachusetts at the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Thomas Gage ordered British troops to march on Concord in April 1775.

General Gage was an experienced officer who had fought in the French and Indian War.

gage — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words refer to something given to guarantee a loan, but they differ in scope and context. 'Collateral' is the most common modern term in banking and finance — any asset (a house, car, or investments) that a lender can seize if the borrower defaults. 'Security' is a broader legal term covering anything that protects a lender's interests, including personal guarantees and documents. 'Pledge' focuses on the act of giving rather than the item itself; you make a pledge by handing over an object as a promise. 'Deposit' typically means giving money (or its equivalent) upfront rather than leaving a valuable item. For example: 'The bank required the house as collateral for the mortgage,' but 'She left her watch in the pawn shop as a pledge.' 'Gage' is an older word for pledge or collateral, now rare outside legal history.

collateral ↗security ↗pledge ↗deposit ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • as (a gage)
  • on (gage something on an outcome)

Etymology

FrankishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The English word 'gage' has two distinct origins that converged in spelling. The measurement sense (variant spelling of 'gauge') comes from Old French 'jauge,' meaning a measuring rod or standard, which entered English in the 1400s. The pledge and betting senses come from a different Old French word 'gage' (meaning a pledge or security), which itself came from the Frankish '*wadi' (a promise or surety). This second root is the same one that gave English 'wage' (what a worker is promised), 'engage' (to pledge oneself to do something), and 'mortgage' (literally 'dead pledge,' because the pledge ends when the debt is paid or the property is lost). Over time, both the measurement sense and the pledge sense were spelled 'gage' in English, though the measurement sense gradually shifted to 'gauge' starting in the 1500s.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb