golly
Americaninterjection
verb
noun
interjection
noun
Etymology
Origin of golly
First recorded in 1840–50; euphemistic alteration of God
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s an argument that Superman’s golly gee spirit is his greatest asset, no subversion necessary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
“I am a loyal person,” Harris writes, which is not only self-justifying but has the slightly off-putting whiff of someone declaring, by golly, I’m just too honest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
Oh by gosh, by golly, it’s time for this week’s Slate News Quiz.
From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2024
By golly, my blood pressure is already starting to come down.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
By golly, she thought, that rotten Trunchbull isn't going to pin this one on me!
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
