What does "gem" mean?
A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
Gem
/d͡ʒɛm/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.
- Grammar: gem is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: gemstone, jewel, precious stone, treasure.
- Useful contrasts: baubles, common stone, nobody.
- Usage evidence: At last, the gem was in his hands.
How to use "gem"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gem" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gem" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gem" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gem" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gem" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "gemstone" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gem", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine. countable, uncountable
"And on her head she wore a tyre of gold, Adornd with gemmes and owches wondrous fayre, Whose passing price vneath was to be told;"
- 2 A native or resident of the American state of Idaho.
- 3 Initialism of ground-effect machine. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 4 art highly prized for its beauty or perfection wordnet
- 5 Any precious or highly valued thing or person. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"She's an absolute gem."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 Acronym of Graphite-Epoxy Motor. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 7 a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry wordnet
- 8 Anything of small size, or expressed within brief limits, which is regarded as a gem on account of its beauty or value, such as a small picture, a verse of poetry, or an epigram. countable, uncountable
"a gem of wit"
- 9 a sweet quick bread baked in a cup-shaped pan wordnet
- 10 A gemma or leaf bud. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"c. 1668, John Denham (translator), Of Old Age by Cato the Elder, Part 3, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy, London: H. Herringman, 4th edition, 1773, p. 35, Then from the Joynts of thy prolifick Stemm A swelling Knot is raised (call’d a Gemm)"
- 11 a person who is as brilliant and precious as a piece of jewelry wordnet
- 12 A geometrid moth of the species Orthonama obstipata. countable, uncountable
- 13 a crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry wordnet
- 14 A package containing programs or libraries for the Ruby programming language. countable, uncountable
- 15 A size of type between brilliant (4-point) and diamond (4½-point), running 222 lines to the foot. obsolete, uncommon, uncountable
- 16 A strong, dominating pitching performance. countable, uncountable
"2025, Associated Press, Crochet gets 1st career shutout and complete game as Red Sox beat Rays for 9th straight win by Associated Press, He didn’t walk a batter in his 100-pitch gem"
- 17 Internet content of good quality. Internet, countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To adorn with, or as if with, gems. transitive
"[T]he fair star / That gems the glittering coronet of morn, / Sheds not a light so mild, so powerful, / As that which, bursting from the Fairy's form, / Spread a purpureal halo round the scene, / Yet with an undulating motion, / Swayed to her outline gracefully."
Proper Noun
- 1 A ghost town in California.
- 2 A diminutive of the female given name Gemma.
- 3 An unincorporated community in Indiana.
- 4 A city in Kansas.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"At last, the gem was in his hands."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gem"?
Common synonyms include: gemstone, jewel, precious stone, treasure, a prize, acceptable person.
How do you use "gem" in a sentence?
At last, the gem was in his hands.
How do you pronounce "gem"?
Pronounced /d͡ʒɛm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, gem”). Doublet of gemma and Gemma.
Etymology 2
From Gem State.