gold digger

noun

variants or less commonly gold-digger
1
: one who digs for gold
2
: a person whose romantic pursuit of, relationship with, or marriage to a wealthy person is primarily or solely motivated by a desire for money
Whether you're dating a potential gold digger or are surrounded by friends who are constantly asking for handouts, you'll want to protect your money from those kinds of drains.Kimberly Palmer
For years, it has almost always played out like this: A woman accuses a famous man of harassment, and that famous man calls her a liar. The media reports it, expensive lawyers rush in to also call the woman a liar and maybe a gold digger and maybe worse …Nina Burleigh
To deflect the impression that he was a gold digger par excellence, Bingham renounced any claim on his new wife's fortune.Richard Kluger
gold-digging adjective
a gold-digging opportunist

Examples of gold digger in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Giudice has accused Gorga of being a cheater and a gold digger, both of which Gorga denies. Alexis Jones, Peoplemag, 8 June 2023 The buxom blonde bombshell represented the dynamic range a woman’s identity could span, from the saintly (wife, mother, girl next door) to the sinful (exotic dancer, calculating gold digger, tabloid-courting sensation). Courtney Howard, Variety, 15 May 2023 Some church members suspected Lara of being a gold digger, interested in using Shamblin Lara's money to further his country music aspirations. Maria Pasquini, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2023 Teresa has accused Melissa of being a gold digger and of cheating on her brother, both of which Melissa denies. Stephanie Kaloi, Peoplemag, 27 Jan. 2023 The public has savagely judged her choice to marry Mr. Komuro, assailing his mother’s finances (and by extension branding him a gold digger) and calling him unfit to be the spouse of an imperial daughter. New York Times, 24 Oct. 2021 The Count remarried, and Angela believes his new wife, the Countess (Marcia Gay Harden), is a gold digger with murderous designs on her dad. Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2022 The track tells the story of a man who decided to part ways with his girlfriend for being a gold digger and leaving him without money. Billboard Staff, Billboard, 1 Sep. 2022 Though Celess reveals her cards as what some would call a gold digger, the women get sucked into bigger problems than just their lavish lifestyle. Kelly Wynne, PEOPLE.com, 15 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gold digger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gold digger was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near gold digger

Cite this Entry

“Gold digger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gold%20digger. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

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