What does gunge mean?
Gunge is an informal British word for a sticky, viscous substance, especially one that has accumulated around machinery, drains, or other surfaces. In figurative use, it means vague, unhelpfully detailed, or worthless rubbish: a document may be described as full of gunge when it contains little useful information. The word is usually treated as a mass noun, so speakers say a mass of gunge or a layer of gunge rather than using it as a countable object. It can also be used as a verb, especially in the phrasal expression gunge up, meaning to cover, fill, or block something with sticky material. Gunge belongs mainly to colloquial British English, although similar forms are familiar in other English varieties. Its usefulness lies in its strongly physical imagery: material that is messy and obstructive on the surface and can also suggest vague intellectual clutter.
A sticky, viscous substance or mess; figuratively, vague or worthless rubbish.
"The old drain was blocked with gunge."
Informal and chiefly British. Usually an uncountable mass noun, though the plural gunges is occasionally used for separate quantities or deposits.
To cover, fill, or clog something with a sticky or viscous substance.
"They gungeed up the pipe with old sealant."
Informal British usage, especially common in the phrasal form gunge up.
The plural is uncommon because gunge is normally used as an uncountable mass noun.
"The mechanic removed several thick gunges from the engine."
Gunge is the British cousin of gunk: literally a sticky mess, figuratively a dismissive pile of rubbish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gunge come from?
The precise origin of gunge is uncertain. The word is recorded in nineteenth-century English for a sticky or viscous substance, and it was later extended figuratively to refer to rubbish or confused material. No reliable family of cognates can be stated confidently, so the word is best treated as having an uncertain and probably non-transparent origin.
How gunge is actually used
Gunge is informal and distinctly British in its common use. The noun is normally treated as an uncountable mass noun, although the plural gunges occurs in more formal or technical contexts. Its figurative use is mildly dismissive.
Easily confused with gunge
Gunk is especially common in American English, while gunge is the chiefly British equivalent for sticky substances and, figuratively, indistinct rubbish.