gold mine

American  

noun

1. a mine yielding gold.

2. a source of great wealth or profit, or any desirable thing.

3. a copious source or reserve of something required.

   a gold mine of information about antiques.

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gold mine British  

noun

1. a place where gold ore is mined

2. a source of great wealth, profit, etc

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gold mine Idioms  

1. A rich, plentiful source of wealth or some other desirable thing, as in That business proved to be a gold mine, or She's a gold mine of information about the industry. [First half of 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gold-mining
  noun
• gold-miner
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gold mine

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75

Example Sentences

In Jachal, memories are still fresh of a major 2015 leak of a cyanide-laced solution from a gold mine, which contaminated three rivers.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

"Our pastures have been closed off because of an exploratory drilling plan for a gold mine," said Nuriye Dilek, a 48-year-old livestock farmer.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Jobs had to realize his gold mine before the market would credit Apple with a gold mine.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Last July, 18 workers were rescued from an unlicensed gold mine after having been trapped underground for 18 hours due to a mechanical failure.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

The old stone tunnels changed to dirt with cedar beams, like a gold mine or something.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan