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 artist’s 22-card reinterpretation of the Major Arcana was designed in his Normandy studio and produced with the help of Parisian artisans who gilded the edges of each card with gold using techniques developed in the 18th and 19th centuries. —Gisela Williams Marina O’Loughlin Roxanne Fequiere Camille Sojit Pejcha Gisela Williams, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Sun beams burst through cloud wisps, gilding everything in bright, sparkling light: cobalt water, white crags, kelly green moss. —Sophie Yun Mancini, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024

There’s gingham, florals, gilded frames, bright reds, marigold shades, and wooden staircases that certainly have stories of their own. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024

But critics from an array of perspectives in the film industry have described the standards as the equivalent of tinsel — flimsy and showy — doing more to gild Hollywood’s image than to help people the movie business has long overlooked. —Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used monuments and television shows to extol the country’s Ottoman past and gild his own rule. —Suzanne Nossel, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024

Behind the living room couch hangs a triptych, gilded wood framing scenes that were assembled with vibrant leather from book covers and spines. —Chicago Tribune, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2024

The Devil’s Horsemen, the company who supplied our horses, had a chassis, and our model makers adapted it, sculpting in clay these amazing rococo-style palm leaves, then casting them and gilding them, and making all the other decoration. —Alex Marshall, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024

So, a note to anyone attending the last six weeks of the Eras Tour late next year, which will have Abrams opening all dates, presumably with a setlist updated with material from a scream-worthy new album: Start gilding those vocal cords now. —Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Dec. 2023

Noun

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

Especially popular among Democrats is the distanced car rally, where honks of approval gild stump speeches with the dulcet tones of the Holland Tunnel the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. —Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2020

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

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