gold
noun
a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. Au; 196.967; 79; 19.3 at 20°C.
gold
1 American
[gohld]
/ goʊld /
noun
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gold
plural
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a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. Au; 196.967; 79; 19.3 at 20°C.
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a quantity of gold coins.
to pay in gold.
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a monetary standard based on this metal; gold standard.
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something likened to this metal in brightness, preciousness, superiority, etc..
a heart of gold.
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a bright, metallic yellow color, sometimes tending toward brown.
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Military. Gold, the code name for one of the five D-day invasion beaches, assaulted by British troops.
adjective
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consisting of gold.
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pertaining to gold.
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like gold.
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of the color of gold.
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indicating the fiftieth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.
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(of an audio recording) having sold a minimum of 500,000 copies.
idioms
Gold
2
American
[gohld, gawld]
/ goʊld, gɔld /
noun
Gold
3
American
[gohld]
/ goʊld /
noun
-
Herbert, 1924–2023, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
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Thomas, 1920–2004, U.S. astronomer, born in Austria: formulated the steady-state theory of the universe.
gold
1
British
/ ɡəʊld /
noun
-
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a dense inert bright yellow element that is the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in rocks and alluvial deposits: used as a monetary standard and in jewellery, dentistry, and plating. The radioisotope gold-198 ( radiogold ), with a half-life of 2.69 days, is used in radiotherapy. Symbol: Au; atomic no: 79; atomic wt: 196.96654; valency: 1 or 3; relative density: 19.3; melting pt: 1064.43°C; boiling pt: 2857°C
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( as modifier )
a gold mine
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a coin or coins made of this metal
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money; wealth
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something precious, beautiful, etc, such as a noble nature (esp in the phrase heart of gold )
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a deep yellow colour, sometimes with a brownish tinge
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( as adjective )
a gold carpet
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archery the bull's eye of a target, scoring nine points
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short for gold medal
Gold
2
British
/ ɡəʊld /
noun
gold
Scientific
/ gōld /
-
A soft, shiny, yellow element that is the most malleable of all the metals. It occurs in veins and in alluvial deposits. Because it is very durable, resistant to corrosion, and a good conductor of heat and electricity, gold is used as a plated coating on electrical and mechanical components. It is also an international monetary standard and is used in jewelry and for decoration. Atomic number 79; atomic weight 196.967; melting point 1,063.0°C; boiling point 2,966.0°C; specific gravity 19.32; valence 1, 3.
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See Periodic Table See Note at element
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gold
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Gold, Gothic gulth; akin to Persian zar, Russian zóloto, Sanskrit híraṇya; cf. yellow ( def. )
Explanation
Gold is a relatively soft, shiny precious metal. Many kinds of jewelry, including necklaces, bangles, and wedding rings are traditionally made of gold. The element itself is called gold, and it's used to make valuable jewels, coins, and as a standard for currency trading. You can also use the word to describe the color, a shiny metallic deep yellow, or to describe things made from the metal: "Check out my new gold earrings!" Gold is an Old English word that shares a Proto-Indo-European root with the word "yellow:" ghel-, which means "yellow or green," and possibly "bright."
Vocabulary lists containing gold
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Yellow
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Brown
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her husband’s gold Navy sword from his Vietnam days went into the Don’t Have a Clue bag before they gave it to their son.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
It is exactly the same journey that gold went on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Zuckerberg’s evolution from upstart in sandals to business leader in gold chains, was not what made Sorkin want to follow-up the movie that won him an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The double Olympic gold medal winner, who announced his retirement from the sport in late 2024, has been recognised for his services to triathlon and to charity.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
It was pointless to look for gold in the mines.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Gold prices ticked higher as traders assessed the possibility of another Fed interest-rate hike this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The LBMA, a nonprofit trade association, provides clean-gold certification to metal if it deems producers to have followed its Responsible Gold Guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I think people can do that,” Gold said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Gold prices have faltered, falling back from record highs earlier this year and sliding further in recent months amid rising bond yields and rate-hike uncertainty.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
I've already talked to Rabbi Gold, and ReelTok will be live-streaming your bar mitzvah to TokNation and the entire world on December fourth!
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
