gold standard

American  

noun

1. a monetary system with gold of specified weight and fineness as the unit of value.

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gold standard British  

noun

1. a monetary system in which the unit of currency is defined with reference to gold

2. the supreme example of something against which others are judged or measured

   the current gold standard for breast cancer detection

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gold standard Cultural  

1. A system in which a nation's currency has a value measured in gold and can be exchanged for gold. Most nations, including the United States, went off the gold standard in the 1930s.

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Etymology

Origin of gold standard

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

For years, the SAT was the gold standard of college-admission exams.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

The Associated Press has become the gold standard for calling election outcomes — The Times typically relies on its expertise — and such announcements usually come well before all votes are counted.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

"Clinical trials are the gold standard, but by design, they are slow," says Guntuku.

From Science Daily • May 24, 2026

Lawyers for CPL, the independent production company that makes the UK version of the show, said its welfare system was "gold standard" and industry-leading, and that it acted appropriately in all these cases.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Within minutes, Miele was on a table in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, awaiting angioplasty to unclog his artery—a procedure that many cardiologists say has become the gold standard in heart attack treatment.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times