- present participle of gild.
noun
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the act or art of applying gilt to a surface
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the surface so produced
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another word for gilt 1
Etymology
Origin of gilding
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at gild 1, -ing 1
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.
He was meticulous in ordering well-made clothes, and a “chariot” with some gilding wouldn’t be too excessive, he thought.
From Slate ● Feb. 16, 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
Hristoff, who was born in Istanbul and is now based in New York, has been creating works of layered screen printing, painting, gilding and drawing in a well-known, almost 20-year-long series titled “Everything and Nothing.”
From Seattle Times ● May 28, 2024
And he began writing again...and crossing out words...and writing more, while outside the sun sank lower and lower until its rays were gilding the hilltops.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
