goldbrick

[ gohld-brik for 1, 2; gohld-brik for 3-5 ]

/ ˈgoʊldˈbrɪk for 1, 2; ˈgoʊldˌbrɪk for 3-5 /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for goldbrick on Thesaurus.com

noun

Informal. a brick made to look like gold, sold by a swindler.

Informal. anything supposed to be valuable but which turns out to be worthless.

Also goldbricker .Slang. a person, especially a soldier, who shirks responsibility or performs duties without proper effort or care.

verb (used without object) Slang.

to shirk responsibility or perform halfheartedly; loaf.

verb (used with object)

to swindle; cheat.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of goldbrick

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; gold + brick

Words nearby goldbrick

Goldbergian, Goldberg, Rube, Goldblatt kidney, Goldblatt phenomenon, gold bond, goldbrick, gold bronze, goldbug, gold bullion standard, gold card, gold certificate

British Dictionary definitions for goldbrick

gold brick

noun

something with only a superficial appearance of value

US slang an idler or shirker

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

goldbrick

Origin of goldbrick

Words nearby goldbrick

Words related to goldbrick

British Dictionary definitions for goldbrick