gold

[ gohld ]
See synonyms for gold on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. Symbol: Au; atomic weight: 196.967; atomic number: 79; specific gravity: 19.3 at 20°C.

  2. a quantity of gold coins: to pay in gold.

  1. a monetary standard based on this metal; gold standard.

  2. something likened to this metal in brightness, preciousness, superiority, etc.: a heart of gold.

  3. a bright, metallic yellow color, sometimes tending toward brown.

  4. Gold, Military. the code name for one of the five D-day invasion beaches, assaulted by British troops.

adjective
  1. consisting of gold.

  2. pertaining to gold.

  1. like gold.

  2. of the color of gold.

  3. indicating the fiftieth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

  4. (of an audio recording) having sold a minimum of 500,000 copies.

Idioms about gold

  1. go gold,

    • (of an audio recording) to attain sales of 500,000 copies or more.

    • (of a video game) to complete the development cycle from production through quality assurance testing and enter the sales and shipping cycle: The game went gold in November and was on store shelves for the holiday season.

Origin of gold

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Gold, Gothic gulth; akin to Persian zar, Russian zóloto, Sanskrit híraṇya; cf. yellow

Other words from gold

  • non·gold, noun, adjective

Words Nearby gold

Other definitions for Gold (2 of 3)

Gold1
[ gohld, gawld ]

noun

Other definitions for Gold (3 of 3)

Gold2
[ gohld ]

noun
  1. Herbert, 1924–2023, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

  2. Thomas, 1920–2004, U.S. astronomer, born in Austria: formulated the steady-state theory of the universe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gold in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gold (1 of 2)

gold

/ (ɡəʊld) /


noun
    • 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: Related adjectives: aurous, auric

    • (as modifier): a gold mine

  1. a coin or coins made of this metal

  1. money; wealth

  2. something precious, beautiful, etc, such as a noble nature (esp in the phrase heart of gold)

    • a deep yellow colour, sometimes with a brownish tinge

    • (as adjective): a gold carpet

  3. archery the bull's eye of a target, scoring nine points

  4. short for gold medal

Origin of gold

1
Old English gold; related to Old Norse gull, Gothic gulth, Old High German gold

British Dictionary definitions for Gold (2 of 2)

Gold

/ (ɡəʊld) /


noun
  1. Thomas. 1920–2004, Austrian-born astronomer, working in England and the US: with Bondi and Hoyle he proposed the steady-state theory of the universe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gold

gold

[ gōld ]


Au
  1. 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. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.