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gold fever

American  

noun

  1. greed and excitement caused by a gold rush.


Etymology

Origin of gold fever

First recorded in 1840–50


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.

See Examples For:

Across the continent, gold fever helped San Francisco vault onto the top-10 list in 1870.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

The pockmarked earth on Johannesburg's eastern fringe, until last week a humble cattle kraal ringed with barbed wire, now stands as the unlikely centre of South Africa's latest gold fever.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

California has been a beacon, a destination, a paradise and promised land ever since its headlong expansion in a rush of gold fever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024

Rangel’s eyes stared hawklike on his swishing pan as he told how he caught gold fever.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2017

But the gold fever had still a terrible grip over my poor father.

From The Frontiersman A Tale of the Yukon by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody

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