karat

American

[kar-uht] / ˈkær ət /

Or carat

noun

a unit for measuring the fineness of gold, pure gold being 24 karats fine. k., kt.

karat British

/ ˈkærət /

noun

Also spelt (in Britain and certain other countries): carat. a measure of the proportion of gold in an alloy, expressed as the number of parts of gold in 24 parts of the alloy

"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

Etymology

Origin of karat

First recorded in 1550–60; spelling variant of carat

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.

A 16 cm Cartier Love bracelet costs $8,655 including sales tax, and contains around 31 grams of 18 karat gold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

The toilet is made of 18 karat gold, meaning the metal is 75% gold and 25% alloy.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 1, 2025

Meta Gala co-chair Dua Lipa wore a vintage 1992 Chanel Haute Couture Fall cream tweed gown and paired it with a never before seen 100 karat Tiffany diamond necklace.

From Reuters • May 2, 2023

Black-painted bells on the exterior of the building that were presumed to be solid cast iron turned out to have 24 karat gold leaf filigree.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2021

Pippin's not so nicely spoken as you, my pet, but his heart's twenty-four karat.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023