gold

¹ American  

[gohld] / goʊld /

noun

1. a precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile, and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. Au; 196.967; 79; 19.3 at 20°C.

2. a quantity of gold coins.

   to pay in gold.

3. a monetary standard based on this metal; gold standard.

4. money; wealth; riches.

5. something likened to this metal in brightness, preciousness, superiority, etc..

   a heart of gold.

6. a bright, metallic yellow color, sometimes tending toward brown.

7. gold medal.

8. Military. Gold, the code name for one of the five D-day invasion beaches, assaulted by British troops.

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adjective

1. consisting of gold.

2. pertaining to gold.

3. like gold.

4. of the color of gold.

5. indicating the fiftieth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

6. (of an audio recording) having sold a minimum of 500,000 copies.

idioms

1. go gold,

   1. (of an audio recording) to attain sales of 500,000 copies or more.

   2. (of a video game) to complete the development cycle from production through quality assurance testing and enter the sales and shipping cycle.

      The game went gold in November and was on store shelves for the holiday season.

Gold ² American  

[gohld, gawld] / goʊld, gɔld /

noun

1. Nanay.

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Gold ³ American  

[gohld] / goʊld /

noun

1. Herbert, 1924–2023, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

2. Thomas, 1920–2004, U.S. astronomer, born in Austria: formulated the steady-state theory of the universe.

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gold ¹ British  

/ ɡəʊld /

noun

1. 1. a dense inert bright yellow element that is the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in rocks and alluvial deposits: used as a monetary standard and in jewellery, dentistry, and plating. The radioisotope gold-198 ( radiogold ), with a half-life of 2.69 days, is used in radiotherapy. Symbol: Au; atomic no: 79; atomic wt: 196.96654; valency: 1 or 3; relative density: 19.3; melting pt: 1064.43°C; boiling pt: 2857°C

   2. ( as modifier )

      a gold mine

2. a coin or coins made of this metal

3. money; wealth

4. something precious, beautiful, etc, such as a noble nature (esp in the phrase heart of gold )

5. 1. a deep yellow colour, sometimes with a brownish tinge

   2. ( as adjective )

      a gold carpet

6. archery the bull's eye of a target, scoring nine points

7. short for gold medal

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Gold ² British  

/ ɡəʊld /

noun

1. Thomas. 1920–2004, Austrian-born astronomer, working in England and the US: with Bondi and Hoyle he proposed the steady-state theory of the universe

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gold Scientific  

/ gōld /

1. A soft, shiny, yellow element that is the most malleable of all the metals. It occurs in veins and in alluvial deposits. Because it is very durable, resistant to corrosion, and a good conductor of heat and electricity, gold is used as a plated coating on electrical and mechanical components. It is also an international monetary standard and is used in jewelry and for decoration. Atomic number 79; atomic weight 196.967; melting point 1,063.0°C; boiling point 2,966.0°C; specific gravity 19.32; valence 1, 3.

2. See Periodic Table See Note at element

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Other Word Forms

• nongold noun

Etymology

Origin of gold

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Gold, Gothic gulth; akin to Persian zar, Russian zóloto, Sanskrit híraṇya; yellow ( def. )

Explanation

Gold is a relatively soft, shiny precious metal. Many kinds of jewelry, including necklaces, bangles, and wedding rings are traditionally made of gold. The element itself is called gold, and it's used to make valuable jewels, coins, and as a standard for currency trading. You can also use the word to describe the color, a shiny metallic deep yellow, or to describe things made from the metal: "Check out my new gold earrings!" Gold is an Old English word that shares a Proto-Indo-European root with the word "yellow:" ghel-, which means "yellow or green," and possibly "bright."

Example Sentences

After one conversation with then-recently hired Bruins coach Bob Chesney, Iamaleava was sold on wearing the blue and gold for another season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Find insight Cascades, Canada’s energy majors, gold and silver prices, Nouveau Monde Graphite and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The base would have statues of gold lions.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Worries about inflation have caused some seniors to stampede into gold instead, even though that is highly speculative, functionally useless and pays no dividends at all.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Potted plants crowded some of them, pink and gold bougainvillea unfurling over wooden rails painted red or black.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu