gold star
- a gold-colored star displayed, as on a service flag, to indicate that a member of one's family, organization, or the like, was killed in war as a member of the armed forces.
- Informal.
- symbolic approval or recognition for outstanding merit or effort: You get the gold star for cooking such a gourmet dinner.
- anything that represents an outstanding effort or achievement: Her promotion was the gold star she'd been working for.
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Origin of gold star
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for gold star
Contemporary Examples
I think his inauguration is a gold-star day in the annals of American history.
Historical Examples
What had the gold-star mothers of Western City to say to this?
They Call Me CarpenterUpton Sinclair
More than likely those seats will be reserved for the gold-star mothers—those who have lost their sons in battle.
The Rover Boys in the Land of LuckEdward Stratemeyer