free gold

American

noun

treasury gold, including the legal reserve, not restricted to the redemption of gold certificates or other specific uses.
Mining. gold found in loose particles or nuggets, as in a placer mine.

free gold British

noun

gold, uncombined with other minerals, found in a pure state
the excess of gold held by the Federal Reserve Banks over the legal reserve

"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

Etymology

Origin of free gold

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

Wiffen, who won 800m free gold at the Paris Games, seized control early and held off Finke, who won the event at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

And that asks even more questions- how did this obvious parody end up with a free gold tick?

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2023

Tom Dean, the 200 free gold medalist led off and 200 silver medalist Duncan Scott swam the anchor leg.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2021

Possibly nothing more so than free gold on the beach.

From The Guardian • Aug. 28, 2014

“Didn’t you know I’m a VIP here? I get free ice cream, free coleslaw, free arrests, and all the free gold spray-painted rocks my heart could ever desire.”

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023