gold digger
Americannoun
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a person who seeks or digs for gold in a gold field.
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Informal. a woman who associates with or marries a man chiefly for material gain.
noun
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a person who prospects or digs for gold
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informal a woman who uses her sexual attractions to accumulate gifts and wealth or advance her social position
Other Word Forms
- gold-digging noun
Etymology
Origin of gold digger
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30
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.
Julia, a successful businesswoman in textile design, knows that her father will be alarmed at this impetuous engagement and will want to make sure that Johnny isn’t a gold digger.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Or the time when she filed a trademark application for the term "gold digger".
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
Necheles continually accused Daniels of being a liar and a gold digger.
From Seattle Times • May 9, 2024
One of the biggest issues I have always had with the criticism of Smith is the label of "gold digger" that seems to be her most enduring and unfortunate legacy.
From Salon • May 23, 2023
I look around the room for Darius, to see if there’s any hint that he might’ve heard what Layla just said about Janae being a gold digger.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
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.
