gold standard

American  

noun

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

---

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of gold standard

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

Mesh was considered to be the gold standard treatment for incontinence and prolapse in women for years.

From BBC

On the day she surpassed Karen Carney to become the third most-capped England footballer of all time, Bronze showed why she remains the gold standard for the Lionesses on and off the pitch.

From BBC

She also noted that BLS revisions are actually getting smaller over time, a reminder that official statistics remain a global gold standard.

From Barron's

The Patriot system has been the gold standard of Western air defenses during four years of war in Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead it’s a holdover from a bygone era of the gold standard, fixed exchange rates and periodic panics about global liquidity.

From The Wall Street Journal