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
Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
La Habra-El Dorado next week at Valencia High is the best Epsilon opener.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The person was camping in the South Lake Tahoe area, located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in eastern California, the El Dorado County Public Health Division (EDCPHD) confirmed Aug. 19.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Before starring at Auburn, Johnson played two seasons in junior college for Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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