the gold standard
Definition of the gold standard
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
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Word by Word Definitions
: gold coins
: a gold piece
: money
: qualifying for a gold record
: a conspicuous object (such as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem
: a long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic devices
: the personal flag of the head of a state or of a member of a royal family
: constituting or conforming to a standard especially as established by law or custom
: sound and usable but not of top quality
: regularly and widely used, available, or supplied
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