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gold dust

American  

noun

  1. gold in fine particles.


gold dust British  

noun

  1. gold in the form of small particles or powder, as found in placer-mining

  2. a valuable or rare thing

    tickets for this match are gold dust

"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 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

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

A top-class number six is like gold dust which explains why Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi will be one of the hottest properties in January.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2024

"But when you do manage to find that member of staff that gets it, whether it’s from their own experience or training, they’re like gold dust."

From BBC • May 28, 2024

As if I was some kind of expert on gold dust, butterflies, and blood.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds