golly
Americaninterjection
verb
noun
interjection
noun
Etymology
Origin of golly
First recorded in 1840–50; euphemistic alteration of God
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.
It’s an argument that Superman’s golly gee spirit is his greatest asset, no subversion necessary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
“I am a loyal person,” Harris writes, which is not only self-justifying but has the slightly off-putting whiff of someone declaring, by golly, I’m just too honest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
Oh by gosh, by golly, it’s time for this week’s Slate News Quiz.
From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2024
It’s rare that NFL teams set up succession plans, but by golly if that’s not how league insiders are interpreting recent coaching machinations by the Patriots and Cowboys.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 31, 2023
But by golly, I had my missing last chapter.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
