gold rush

American

noun

a large-scale and hasty movement of people to a region where gold has been discovered, as to California in 1849.

gold rush British

noun

a large-scale migration of people to a territory where gold has been found

"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

Etymology

Origin of gold rush

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

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.

The business world’s gold rush to build out AI has resulted in unprecedented demand for computer chips, memory and other electrical parts.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

First author Jayson Ball describes the current moment as a "gold rush of neuroscience," driven by advanced tools that allow scientists to precisely control specific groups of brain cells.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

If data-center construction keeps going for years, and investors prove willing to finance it, that’s great for Micron, Nvidia and other providers of the modern-day versions of picks and shovels for the AI gold rush.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

The potential benefits are huge - a competitive edge with China, the possibility of a lunar gold rush, and a rare moment of national unity.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Iditarod is a ghost town, just a few shacks left over from the gold rush, when ten thousand people lived there.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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