El Dorado
noun
Did you know?
In the early 1500s, Spanish conquistadores heard tales of an Amazonian king who regularly coated his body with gold dust, then plunged into a nearby lake to wash it off while being showered with gold and jewels thrown by his subjects. The Spaniards called the city ruled by this flamboyant monarch El Dorado, Spanish for "gilded one," and the story of the gold-covered king eventually grew into a legend of a whole country paved with gold. These days, El Dorado can also used generically for any place of vast riches, abundance, or opportunity. It is also the name of actual cities in Arkansas and Kansas.
Examples of El Dorado in a Sentence
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
Ryan Paul Rizzuto, 42, and Danielle Marie Rizzuto, 41, of Reno, died in the wreck, coroner’s officials confirmed, according to a statement from El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York’s El Dorado Task Force with support from HSI Salt Lake.
—Tracy Wright , Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
By 1983, Tosco had suffered a downturn and nearly shut down the El Dorado facility.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for El Dorado
Cite this Entry
“El Dorado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/El%20Dorado. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
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