gem

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: jewel
b
: a precious or sometimes semiprecious stone cut and polished for ornament
2
a
: something prized especially for great beauty or perfection
b
: a highly prized or well-beloved person
3
: muffin

gem

2 of 3

verb

gemmed; gemming

transitive verb

: to adorn with or as if with gems

GEM

3 of 3

abbreviation

ground-effect machine

Examples of gem in a Sentence

Noun The house is a gem of colonial architecture. He pitched a gem of a game. Her most recent novel is a real gem.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Look for hidden gems in middle management who can become key players in driving your vision forward. Marne Martin, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Despite a welcome East Side renaissance in repertory screenings, genre fests, and classical retrospectives, Los Angeles as a sprawling industry town needs a banner festival where undiscovered gems, glitzy red carpet premieres, and especially international fare can earn equal ovation. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Consider this Tata Harper gem the fountain of youth in oil form. Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 29 Nov. 2022 Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have also laid claim to gem as well, which was the possession of many rulers, including India’s Mughal emperors, before coming into the hands of the British monarchy. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for gem 

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gemme, from Anglo-French, from Latin gemma bud, gem

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1610, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gem was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gem

Cite this Entry

“Gem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gem. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

gem

noun
ˈjem
1
b
: a usually valuable stone cut and polished for ornament
2
: something prized as being beautiful or perfect
gem verb

More from Merriam-Webster on gem

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!