gold standard

American  

noun

1. a monetary system with gold of specified weight and fineness as the unit of value.

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gold standard British  

noun

1. a monetary system in which the unit of currency is defined with reference to gold

2. the supreme example of something against which others are judged or measured

   the current gold standard for breast cancer detection

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gold standard Cultural  

1. A system in which a nation's currency has a value measured in gold and can be exchanged for gold. Most nations, including the United States, went off the gold standard in the 1930s.

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Etymology

Origin of gold standard

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gold standard

The actress is somebody that people she look up to, he said, referring to her as "the gold standard".

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

This dual-language class is also a federally funded Head Start program — long considered a gold standard in early childhood education — and must integrate learning with each child’s cultural and linguistic upbringing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Here’s a slight plot twist: Even the clinical gold standard leaves room for interpretation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

In fact, Leavitt may well become the gold standard for press secretaries into the foreseeable future.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Within minutes, Miele was on a table in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, awaiting angioplasty to unclog his artery—a procedure that many cardiologists say has become the gold standard in heart attack treatment.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times