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, 18 Dec. 2025
Marshall Hospital in El Dorado Hills celebrated the opening of a new rehabilitation center that is helping people get back on their feet with some futuristic technology.
—CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
The California Highway Patrol said the car carrying the couple and their two kids hit the tree off of Highway 50 near Kyburz in El Dorado County, according to NBC affiliate KCRA and FOX affiliate KTXL.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 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
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 19 Dec. 2025.
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