gold digger

noun

variants or less commonly gold-digger
1
: one who digs for gold
2
: a person whose romantic pursuit of, relationship with, or marriage to a wealthy person is primarily or solely motivated by a desire for money
Whether you're dating a potential gold digger or are surrounded by friends who are constantly asking for handouts, you'll want to protect your money from those kinds of drains.Kimberly Palmer
For years, it has almost always played out like this: A woman accuses a famous man of harassment, and that famous man calls her a liar. The media reports it, expensive lawyers rush in to also call the woman a liar and maybe a gold digger and maybe worse …Nina Burleigh
To deflect the impression that he was a gold digger par excellence, Bingham renounced any claim on his new wife's fortune.Richard Kluger
gold-digging adjective
a gold-digging opportunist

Examples of gold digger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Most of the women are gold diggers or interested only in hookups. Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 1 July 2024 His melancholy widower ends up being tormented by a conniving gold digger (Kathleen Turner) while also falling in love with a disembodied brain (voiced by Sissy Spacek) being stored in the lab of a mad scientist (David Warner). Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024 However, my friends and family will no doubt label me a gold digger. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024 That led to a bit on strong women, Jeff Bezos’ divorce and male gold diggers, with an unnecessary (and unfunny) shot at the WNBA. Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gold digger 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gold digger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gold digger was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near gold digger

Cite this Entry

“Gold digger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gold%20digger. Accessed 15 Sep. 2024.

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