gold dust
Americannoun
noun
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gold in the form of small particles or powder, as found in placer-mining
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a valuable or rare thing
tickets for this match are gold dust
Etymology
Origin of gold dust
First recorded in 1695–1705
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.
Samuel Brannan proclaimed in 1848, trotting a bottle of gold dust around San Francisco and effectively kicking off the Gold Rush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Coming from a former president who still wields much influence among the traditional French right, the words are like political gold dust.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
Information about what consumers are looking for in the resale market is gold dust for luxury brands trying to figure out what shoppers want to buy now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
But every now and then you get a gift of gold dust like Conrad.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2025
When I read The California Gold Rush no one lifted a finger unless they were paid in gold nuggets or gold dust.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
