Noun
The house is a gem of colonial architecture.
He pitched a gem of a game.
Her most recent novel is a real gem.
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Noun
The brutal winter took out much of Southold Town Beach's sand and parking lot, forcing the North Fork gem to close for swimming this summer.—Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026 The defensive gem helped Lugo get out of a potential jam.—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
While Uzbeks often gem their plovs with raisins and chickpeas, Karakalpaks use only root vegetables and a shimmer of cottonseed oil—a reflection of scarcity in a dish usually defined by abundance.—Michael Snyder, Saveur, 11 Mar. 2026 These Amazon gems clock in under $25, but don’t let the price tag fool you — each one is clever, practical, and just indulgent enough to feel special.—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gem
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English gemme, from Anglo-French, from Latin gemma bud, gem