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
Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Canyon plays at Crestview League rival El Dorado in the semifinals Saturday.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is 4-0 and getting strong hitting from catcher Jacob Madrid, who had two home runs in a win over El Dorado.
—Eric Sondheimer
columnist
follow, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Other units have recently been sold nearby: A 1,348-square-foot unit on the 5500 block of El Dorado Lane in Dublin sold in July 2024 for $929,000, a price per square foot of $689.
—Bay Area Home Report, Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2026
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 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy Citation
