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-mining
  noun
• gold-miner
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gold mine

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75

Example Sentences

"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

While there, he met officials from the Tuprag gold mine in Usak, which is owned by Vancouver-based Eldorado Gold.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Apple’s foray into services, its constant striving to anticipate any features and peripherals that might let another rectangle maker steal a march on the iPhone, are all about defending the gold mine.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Last July, 18 workers were rescued from an unlicensed gold mine after having been trapped underground for 18 hours due to a mechanical failure.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

“All right, I’m going to get dinner started. Will you two do me a favor and run over to the gold mine and fire Bob?”

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling