What does "gold" mean?
A heavy yellow elemental metal of great value, with atomic number 79 and symbol Au.
Gold
/ɡəʊld/ adj, adv, name, noun, symbol, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, symbol, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A heavy yellow elemental metal of great value, with atomic number 79 and symbol Au.
- Grammar: gold is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, symbol, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: affluence, aluminum, amber, americium.
- Useful contrasts: base metal, bronze, colorless.
- Usage evidence: The gold coin was much more valuable than was supposed.
How to use "gold"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gold" 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 "gold" 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 "gold" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gold" 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 "gold" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, symbol, verb, slang 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 "affluence" 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 "gold", 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 heavy yellow elemental metal of great value, with atomic number 79 and symbol Au. uncountable
"You like to hear about gold. A king filled his prison room As full as the room could hold To the top of his reach on the wall With every known shape of the stuff. ’Twas to buy himself off his doom."
- 2 A member of the Goldi or Nanai people.
- 3 a deep yellow color wordnet
- 4 A coin or coinage made of this material, or supposedly so. countable, uncountable
"The pirates were searching for gold."
- 5 something likened to the metal in brightness or preciousness or superiority etc. wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A deep yellow colour, resembling the metal gold. uncountable
- 7 great wealth wordnet
- 8 The bullseye of an archery target. countable
"Daniel hit the gold to win the contest."
- 9 coins made of gold wordnet
- 10 A gold medal. countable
"France has won three golds and five silvers."
- 11 a soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element; occurs mainly as nuggets in rocks and alluvial deposits; does not react with most chemicals but is attacked by chlorine and aqua regia wordnet
- 12 Anything or anyone that is very valuable. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"That food mixer you gave me is absolute gold, mate!"
- 13 A grill (jewellery worn on front teeth) made of gold. countable, in-plural, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To appear or cause to appear golden.
"I caught sight of something that seemed the nexus of all that glittered, all that golded: like a hallucination in the traffic's rotary heart, a saried creature giddily swirling her own razored rainbow roundabout, mirrored fabric sending light spinning like saberlike amidst the smoking, choking cars."
Adjective
- 1 Made of gold. not-comparable, usually
"a gold chain"
- 2 In a finished state, ready for manufacturing. not-comparable
"The Company confirmed that Half-Life 2, developed by Valve Software, has gone gold with a planned retail street date of November 16, 2004."
- 3 Having the colour of gold. not-comparable, usually
"gold sticker"
- 4 Premium, superior. not-comparable, usually
- 5 Of a musical recording: having sold 500,000 copies. not-comparable, usually
"The album went gold, then platinum, thanks to a second hit single, "It's A Miracle"."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Subject to or involving a model of open access in which a published article is immediately available for to read for free with no embargo period. not-comparable, usually
"Coordinate term: green"
Adjective
- 1 having the deep slightly brownish color of gold wordnet
- 2 made from or covered with gold wordnet
Adverb
- 1 of or referring to a gold version of something not-comparable
Symbol
- 1 ☉ (alchemy)
Proper Noun
- 1 An English surname originating as an occupation for a goldsmith or a rich man.
Example
"The gold coin was much more valuable than was supposed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gold"?
Common synonyms include: affluence, aluminum, amber, americium, and pence, assets.
How do you use "gold" in a sentence?
The gold coin was much more valuable than was supposed.
How do you pronounce "gold"?
Pronounced /ɡəʊld/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English gold, from Old English gold (“gold”), from Proto-West Germanic *golþ, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰl̥h₃tóm (“gold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). Related to yellow; see there for more. Germanic cognates include Dutch goud, German Gold, Norwegian gull, Swedish guld, and cognates from other Indo-European languages include Latvian zelts, Russian зо́лото (zóloto), Persian زرد (zard, “yellow, golden”), Sanskrit हिरण्य (hiraṇya).
Etymology 2
From gold master, a copy of the code certified as being ready for release.