- a variation of guild.
gild
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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gilds,
present (3rd person singular)
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gilded,
past participle, past
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gilt,
past participle, past
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gilding
present participle
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to coat with gold, gold leaf, or a gold-colored substance.
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to give a bright, pleasing, or specious aspect to.
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Archaic. to make red, as with blood.
idioms
noun
verb
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to cover with or as if with gold
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to adorn unnecessarily something already beautiful
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to praise someone inordinately
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to give a falsely attractive or valuable appearance to
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archaic to smear with blood
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gildsimple
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gildssimple
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have gildedperfect
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have giltperfect
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has gildedperfect
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has giltperfect
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am gildingprogressive
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are gildingprogressive
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is gildingprogressive
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have been gildingperfect progressive
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has been gildingperfect progressive
Past
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gildedsimple
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giltsimple
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had gildedperfect
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had giltperfect
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was gildingprogressive
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were gildingprogressive
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had been gildingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gild
1300–50; Middle English gilden, Old English -gyldan; akin to gold
Explanation
To gild something is to cover it with gold. You gild an object in order to decorate it — or just to show off your wealth. From forks to picture frames, gilding can make objects seem ritzy, glamorous, and more valuable. However, some things in life just don’t need a coat of gold. If someone says you are “gilding the lily,” they mean that you are trying to improve on something that is already perfect.
Vocabulary lists containing gild
Animal Farm
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Grendel
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
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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:
There are plenty of signs that the gild is coming off the lily of the most robust AI forecasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
“The challenge of it was to try to go to that place but not gild the lily too much,” Scott says.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
If you feel you need to gild the lily, then keep working.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2023
You can gild that lily with a dollop of sour cream as well.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2022
He would sing the glory of Hrothgar’s line and gild his wisdom and stir up his men to more daring deeds, for a price.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
The way O’Hara gilds this line’s delivery with a wistful sparkle feels true because we’ve seen her spin such treasure playing all kinds of would-be topliners with an amiable, delicious amount of lunacy.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026
If I’ve got prosciutto on hand, it really gilds the lily, but it’s not necessary for a sublime tartine.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2020
We catch glimpses whenever Lee Pace, playing the automobile entrepreneur John DeLorean, gilds his ho-hum dialogue in unexpected layers of foreboding.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2019
In the center of town, the hotel gilds its Native American and Spanish aesthetic with all the luxe you require.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2018
But apart from the problem of uncovenanted labour, the disappearance of the controlling influence of the gilds left many anomalies.
From Boy Labour and Apprenticeship by Reginald Arthur Bray
Its curved blade, chipped and rusted, with a gilded, possibly brass, hilt featuring a lion on the end, is too delicate to hold.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
On her fireplace, an ornate gilded mirror from the 1940s she found at Sunbeam Vintage is flanked by porcelain figurines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the rear of the hospital, grey coffins with gilded bas-reliefs emerged before the cameras of dozens of journalists.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The patio was catching the late afternoon sun, and the olive oil surrounding the gigantes — those enormous, tender butter beans — seemed almost gilded.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
But tonight, her heart was pounding, and she could hear the roar of blood in her ears as the gilded facade came into view.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The 10-year U.K. gilt outperformed its eurozone peers, with its yield falling 2.6 basis points to 5.048%, pulling away from Tuesday’s near four-week high of 5.110%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds also hit a 30-year high of 2.955%, while the 30-year U.K. gilt yield hit a three-month high of 5.858%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
High oil prices are also causing gilt yields to rise due to concerns about inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
On Tuesday, the BOE will publish its Asset Purchase Facility Quarterly Report, which outlines the bank’s stock of gilt holdings and the changes from April 1 to June 30.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Let us wander whirling to the gilt chairs— Are we not acceptable, moon?
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
Remember, it’s gold leaf: Below the gilding, the rest of the figure is made of bronze.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
Paramount+ has “The Madison” standout Michelle Pfeiffer and Season 2 of “Landman,” both of which could bring Emmy gilding to Taylor Sheridan’s success, plus “Dexter: Resurrection.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Not many of us had “Jeffrey Epstein” or “Ghislaine Maxwell” on our bingo cards — to mix metaphors while gilding the lily.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2025
They were then sent for gilding and upholstery, before Mr Desnoues added designs and a wood finish.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2025
What more could he ask for, but this — the late-day sun gilding the top of his new store gold as the knob of a flagpole.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
