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  • diamond
    diamond
    noun
    a pure or nearly pure, extremely hard form of carbon, naturally crystallized in the isometric system.
  • Diamond
    Diamond
    noun
    Neil, born 1941, U.S. singer and songwriter.
Synonyms

diamond

1 American  
[dahy-muhnd, dahy-uh-] / ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə- /

noun

diamonds plural
  1. a pure or nearly pure, extremely hard form of carbon, naturally crystallized in the isometric system.

  2. a piece of this stone.

  3. a transparent, flawless or almost flawless piece of this stone, especially when cut and polished, valued as a precious gem.

  4. a ring or other piece of jewelry containing such a precious stone, especially an engagement ring.

  5. a piece of this stone used in a drill or cutting tool.

  6. a tool provided with such an uncut stone, used for cutting glass.

  7. crystallized carbon, or a piece of it, artificially produced.

  8. an equilateral quadrilateral, especially as placed with its diagonals vertical and horizontal; a lozenge or rhombus.

  9. any rhombus-shaped figure or object oriented with its diagonals vertical and horizontal.

  10. a red rhombus-shaped figure on a playing card.

  11. a card of the suit bearing such figures.

  12. (used with a singular or plural verb) diamonds, the suit so marked.

    Diamonds is trump. Diamonds are trump.

  13. Baseball.

    1. the space enclosed by home plate and the three bases; infield.

    2. the entire playing field.

  14. Printing. a 4½-point type of a size between brilliant and pearl.


adjective

  1. made of or set with a diamond or diamonds.

  2. having the shape of a diamond.

    a dress with a diamond print.

  3. indicating the 75th, or sometimes the 60th, event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

verb (used with object)

  1. to adorn with or as if with diamonds.

idioms

  1. diamond in the rough, a person of fine character but lacking refined manners or graces.

Diamond 2 American  
[dahy-muhnd, dahy-uh-] / ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə- /

noun

  1. Neil, born 1941, U.S. singer and songwriter.

  2. Cape, a hill in Canada, in S Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River.


diamond British  
/ ˈdaɪəmənd /

noun

    1. a colourless exceptionally hard mineral (but often tinted yellow, orange, blue, brown, or black by impurities), found in certain igneous rocks (esp the kimberlites of South Africa). It is used as a gemstone, as an abrasive, and on the working edges of cutting tools. Composition: carbon. Formula: C. Crystal structure: cubic

    2. ( as modifier )

      a diamond ring

  1. geometry

    1. a figure having four sides of equal length forming two acute angles and two obtuse angles; rhombus

    2. (modifier) rhombic

    1. a red lozenge-shaped symbol on a playing card

    2. a card with one or more of these symbols or ( when plural ) the suit of cards so marked

  2. baseball

    1. the whole playing field

    2. the square formed by the four bases

  3. (formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 4 1/ 2 point

  4. a figurative name for coal

    1. an unpolished diamond

    2. a person of fine character who lacks refinement and polish

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to decorate with or as with diamonds

"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
diamond Scientific  
/ dīə-mənd /
  1. A form of pure carbon that occurs naturally as a clear, cubic crystal and is the hardest of all known minerals. It often occurs as octahedrons with rounded edges and curved surfaces. Diamond forms under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure and is most commonly found in volcanic breccias and in alluvial deposits. Poorly formed diamonds are used in abrasives and in industrial cutting tools.


Usage

What does diamond mean? A diamond is a clear gemstone known for its use in jewelry and its high price. The word diamond can also refer to the material, which is one of the hardest known substances. It has many practical and industrial applications, including for grinding and polishing—many drill bits have diamond tips, for example. Diamonds are perhaps the most popular gemstone used in jewelry. They are classified as precious gems, meaning that they have a high commercial value. They are often rated based on four main qualities: cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Many cut diamonds are crystal clear, but sometimes they come in other transparent colors, including pink, yellow, and blue (like the famous Hope diamond). Some diamonds are synthetic—they’re manufactured in laboratories. The diamond is the traditional birthstone for the month of April. It’s associated with the zodiac signs Aries and Taurus. The word diamond is also used to refer to a shape (♦), like the one that’s used as one of the four “suits” on playing cards. Sometimes, it refers to a shape that looks like a cut diamond gem. This is how the word is used in baseball diamond. Diamond can be used as an adjective to describe things that include diamonds (as in a diamond necklace), are made of diamond (as in a diamond drill bit tip), or are diamond-shaped or diamond-patterned, among other things. The word diamond is sometimes used to describe a 75-year anniversary, as in It’s my grandparents’ diamond anniversary this year—I can’t believe they’ve been married for 75 years!Example: Look at her ring—that must be the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen!

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of diamond

1275–1325; Middle English diamant < Old French < Vulgar Latin *diamant-, stem of *diamas, perhaps alteration of *adimas (> French aimant magnet, Old Provençal aziman diamond, magnet), for Latin adamas adamant, diamond

Explanation

A diamond is a valuable gemstone that's often used to make expensive jewelry. You might admire your friend's diamond earrings, but secretly wonder if they're real. An engagement ring is typically set with one or more diamonds. Diamonds used for jewelry are cut and polished, and they're evaluated for quality and price by weight, or carat, as well as by their cut, clarity, and color. Another kind of diamond is the geometrical shape, which is also seen on playing cards called diamonds, and echoed in the shape of a baseball field, also known as a diamond.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing diamond

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:

The qubits were arranged in square, cubic, or diamond shaped lattices.

From Science Daily Jul. 20, 2026

The Venetia mine, in the far north of South Africa, accounts for more than 40% of the country's diamond production and employs more than 4,000 people.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

Announcing its decision to close the Venetia mine, De Beers said it needed to cut costs and streamline operations given the depressed state of the world diamond market.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

De Beers is majority-owned by British mining giant Anglo American, which is seeking to offload its stake as the natural diamond market faces intense pressure from laboratory-grown gems.

From Barron's Jul. 13, 2026

When I offered to help, she raised an eyebrow—she had no idea I could sew—but handed me a coat, a diamond choker, a seam ripper, and a needle.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

It is set to start gathering data in five years, and by failing to back Jodrell Bank, the UK risks missing out on this scientific bonanza, according to Prof Philip Diamond.

From BBC Jul. 28, 2026

"That didn't work as a narrative because it was too pessimistic," Diamond told AFP.

From Barron's Jul. 26, 2026

He chose a meet on the professional Diamond League circuit, at London’s Olympic stadium.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

He described Diamond Hill’s “workmanlike mentality to investing,” which includes forecasting companies’ fundamental performance at least five years out, supported by “a qualitative assessment of companies we want to own.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 15, 2026

Back then, Michael thought that Neil Diamond was terrible and he suspected Gibby did too, but after a few trips, the music morphed into something else—an inside joke.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

"We recognise the protracted challenging conditions as the diamond industry evolves, though we are encouraged by signs of consumer demand growth in the US and beyond, particularly in higher quality diamonds," he said.

From Barron's Jul. 13, 2026

A stunning jeweled dagger hilt and scabbard from Jahangir’s reign incorporate more than 2,000 diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in an intricate pattern in gold.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 11, 2026

Alex Proie in Pennsylvania picked up her ring, made from the gold and diamonds in her five-year anniversary band, a couple of weeks ago and is still wrestling with a mix of feelings.

From BBC Jul. 6, 2026

Lower-level employees might get cubic zirconia instead of diamonds.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 12, 2026

The grey sand turned yellow and twinkled as if it was strewn with diamonds.

From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis

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