gold standard

American  

noun

1. a monetary system with gold of specified weight and fineness as the unit of value.

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gold standard British  

noun

1. a monetary system in which the unit of currency is defined with reference to gold

2. the supreme example of something against which others are judged or measured

   the current gold standard for breast cancer detection

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gold standard Cultural  

1. A system in which a nation's currency has a value measured in gold and can be exchanged for gold. Most nations, including the United States, went off the gold standard in the 1930s.

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Etymology

Origin of gold standard

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

South Africa - the gold standard for everyone in world rugby at the moment - have the same.

From BBC

Seeing other sports show a more human side to their athletes - with Formula 1 documentary Drive To Survive regularly heralded as the gold standard - has forced tennis to think more creatively.

From BBC

“Nike is the gold standard in performance, and I can’t wait to step onto the court representing a brand that believes in the same relentless pursuit of greatness that drives me every day.”

From MarketWatch

Polysomnography is considered the gold standard for evaluating sleep and is typically performed overnight in a laboratory setting.

From Science Daily

The first is the forward price-to-earnings ratio, the gold standard that measures Wall Street’s future expectations; Essaye noted the “market only cares about what’s coming next.”

From Barron's