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

Derived Forms

• gold-miner
  noun
• gold-mining
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gold mine

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75

Example Sentences

Guney was once a water-rich village fed by 50 springs in Turkey's western Usak province, but since a gold mine opened 20 years ago, they have all dried up.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

"Our pastures have been closed off because of an exploratory drilling plan for a gold mine," said Nuriye Dilek, a 48-year-old livestock farmer.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Jobs had to realize his gold mine before the market would credit Apple with a gold mine.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

The National Park Service and an Australian company are at odds over an old Mojave Desert gold mine, where the company is seeking to extract rare earth minerals.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

To many of his fellow agents, Bill Harvey's gold mine suddenly seemed like a mirage.

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