gold medal

American

noun

a medal, traditionally of gold or gold color, awarded to a person or team finishing first in a competition, meet, or tournament; championship medal.

gold medal British

noun

a medal of gold, awarded to the winner of a competition or race Compare silver medal bronze medal

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

gold medalist

noun

Etymology

Origin of gold medal

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

But two of his star players had just won a gold medal with him in Italy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

A former world number two, Zverev has won 24 ATP titles in his career, including seven Masters crowns, is a two-time Tour Finals champion and won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

There’s no prize pool or gold medal to be won.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Staley, a Hall of Fame player and gold medal Olympian, is a transformative character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

He points to the magazine, at a picture of a track star wearing a gold medal.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

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