the gold standard
noun
1
: a system in which a unit of money (such as the dollar) is equal to a particular amount of gold
The United States was still on the gold standard in the early 20th century.
2
: something that is considered to be the best and that is used to judge the quality or level of other, similar things
This car is the gold standard for luxury automobiles.
the gold standard of stylish resorts
Examples of the gold standard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In late 2010, Facebook became revered as the gold standard of revolutionary organizing, sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia.
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Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Of course, the gold standard would be playing the Yanks again in the Fall Classic.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Capcom’s trifecta of Resident Evil 2 (2019), Resident Evil 3 (2020), and Resident Evil 4 (2023) have been viewed as the gold standard of video game remakes.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Francis’ three previous Bowie films are the gold standard for Bowie filmmaking and indeed for docs about music in general.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the gold standard
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Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Of course, the gold standard would be playing the Yanks again in the Fall Classic.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Capcom’s trifecta of Resident Evil 2 (2019), Resident Evil 3 (2020), and Resident Evil 4 (2023) have been viewed as the gold standard of video game remakes.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
Francis’ three previous Bowie films are the gold standard for Bowie filmmaking and indeed for docs about music in general.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the gold standard
Cite this Entry
“The gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20gold%20standard. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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