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

see also:

gild the lily

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

Examples of gild in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And there was plenty with which to impress a president who’s devoted much of his term to ballroom renovations and gilding the Oval Office. — Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 22 Sep. 2026

Among the spring offerings were gilded floral belts, beaded bags and strappy sandals. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Noun

Garlic butter and an aioli softly smoky with chintextle chile gild the situation. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Wario’s gilds the hoagie roll with tomato butter and a ginger-soy drizzle. — Jed Portman, Midwest Living, 25 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing gild

• gild the lily

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