gold mine

American  

noun

1. a mine yielding gold.

2. a source of great wealth or profit, or any desirable thing.

3. a copious source or reserve of something required.

   a gold mine of information about antiques.

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gold mine British  

noun

1. a place where gold ore is mined

2. a source of great wealth, profit, etc

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gold mine Idioms  

1. A rich, plentiful source of wealth or some other desirable thing, as in That business proved to be a gold mine, or She's a gold mine of information about the industry. [First half of 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

• gold-miner noun
• gold-mining noun

Etymology

Origin of gold mine

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75

Example Sentences

Are the Dodgers baseball’s version of a gold mine?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Dead batteries yield lithium, cobalt and nickel; LED screens contain germanium; circuit boards hold platinum and palladium; hard disks store rare earths -- e‑waste has long been described as a "gold mine" for critical minerals.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

A successful study would be the green light to develop what the billionaire investor expects will be the largest single gold mine in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Greenlandic officials quietly concede that, in the short term at least, anyone running this island is more likely to find themselves staring down a money pit rather than a gold mine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

The new spy was a gold mine of Soviet secrets.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau