the gold standard
noun
1
: a system in which a unit of money (such as the dollar) is equal to a particular amount of gold
The United States was still on the gold standard in the early 20th century.
2
: something that is considered to be the best and that is used to judge the quality or level of other, similar things
This car is the gold standard for luxury automobiles.
the gold standard of stylish resorts
Examples of the gold standard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Disney sets the gold standard for family-friendly Alaska cruises.
—
Esther Carlstone, AFAR Media, 4 Apr. 2025
Since the dawn of Hollywood, perfectly straight, blindingly white smiles have been the gold standard—just look at Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, and George Clooney.
—Dora Davies-Evitt, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
Data security experts largely agree that Signal is the gold standard, but it’s not meant for sharing classified government and military information.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
Photograph: Henri Robbins Doubleshot: Often considered the gold standard of keycap legends, doubleshot legends will never fade or wear off.
—Henri Robbins, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the gold standard
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Esther Carlstone, AFAR Media, 4 Apr. 2025
Since the dawn of Hollywood, perfectly straight, blindingly white smiles have been the gold standard—just look at Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, and George Clooney.
—Dora Davies-Evitt, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
Data security experts largely agree that Signal is the gold standard, but it’s not meant for sharing classified government and military information.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
Photograph: Henri Robbins Doubleshot: Often considered the gold standard of keycap legends, doubleshot legends will never fade or wear off.
—Henri Robbins, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the gold standard
Cite this Entry
“The gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20gold%20standard. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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