gild

1 of 2

verb

ˈgild 

gilded ˈgil-dəd  or gilt ˈgilt  ; gilding

transitive verb

1

: to overlay with or as if with a thin covering of gold

2

a

: to give money to

b

: to give an attractive but often deceptive appearance to

was hired to gild the company's image

c

archaic : to make bloody

gilder noun

gild

2 of 2

noun

less common spelling of guild

1

: an association of people with similar interests or pursuits

especially : a medieval association of merchants or craftsmen

2

: a group of organisms that use the same ecological resource in a similar way

a feeding guild

Phrases

gild the lily

: to add unnecessary ornamentation to something beautiful in its own right

Examples of gild in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The carpaccio was an umami-bomb with egg yolk emulsion, pickled mustard seeds, briny capers and crispy shallots, gilded with tiny edible flowers. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 3 June 2025

Meanwhile, her eyes were a smoking gun at times, like night two in Los Angeles, and gilded gold on others. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 30 May 2025

Noun

Damaged gilds the lily, casting-wise, with John Hannah, delivering sterling supporting work as a chief suspect whose alibi would seem to clear him. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

Luxurious Eyeshadow Guerlain’s gorgeous shadow quartet defines and gilds lids with silky, wearable hues in a range of finishes (matte, satin, pearl, metallic) and neutral and bold color palettes. —Good Housekeeping, 20 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English gyldan; akin to Old English gold gold

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gild

• billed
• build
• chilled
• drilled
• filled
• frilled
• grilled
• guild
• killed
• milled
• rilled
• shrilled

Kids Definition

gild

1 of 2 verb

ˈgild 

gilded ˈgil-dəd  or gilt ˈgilt  ; gilding

: to cover with or as if with a coating of gold

gilder noun

gild

2 of 2

variant of guild