karat

noun

kar·​at ˈker-ət 

ˈka-rət

variants or carat

: a unit of fineness for gold equal to 1/24 part of pure gold in an alloy

Examples of karat in a Sentence

She was wearing an 18 karat gold bracelet.

Pure gold is 24 karats.

Recent Examples on the Web

Created by celebrity nail artist Brittney Boyce, these nails feature 14-karat white gold stiletto nails embellished with diamonds. —Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2025

Project officials say a pair of pants, loafers, a 10-karat gold ring with a ruby-colored stone and coins dating between 1965 and 1992 were found near the remains, which were initially believed to be those of a man between the ages of 40 and 55. —Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

Different karats — say 14 karat and 10 karat — should be weighed separately and priced accordingly. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 17 Dec. 2025

Among the auction were 232 sets of three coins that each featured a 2025 penny, a 24-karat gold penny struck from the Philadelphia Mint and a 2025-D penny struck from the Denver Mint, the auction company said. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English carrat — more at carat

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for karat

• buret
• carat
• ferret
• garret
• merit
• parrot
• demerit
• inherit
• preterit
• disinherit

Kids Definition

karat

noun

kar·​at

variants or carat

ˈkar-ət

: a unit of fineness for gold equal to ¹⁄₂₄ part of pure gold in a blend with one or more other metals