noun phrase · academic
price gouging
/praɪs ˈɡaʊdʒɪŋ/PRICE GOU·ging
the practice of raising prices to an unfair level, especially during emergencies or shortages
Examples
“Authorities often ban price gouging during natural disasters to protect consumers.”
“Reports of price gouging for basic goods sparked public outrage.”
“Legislation against price gouging aims to prevent exploitation when demand spikes.”
Band 8 sentence
“Legislators introduced emergency provisions to deter price gouging after the hurricane devastated supply chains.”
Collocations
- allegations of price gouging
- ban price gouging
Word family
Common mistakes
price gouge→price gouging
gouging prices→price gouging
Say it for a higher band
5price hike→6unfair pricing→7+price gouging
Synonyms
price exploitation
Easily confused
price fixing
“The cartel was fined for price fixing, which is different from individual instances of price gouging during shortages.”
Related words
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In Shopping & Money
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