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

Long before celebrity couples dominated social media, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen were setting the gold standard. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 21 July 2026

Apple MacBook Neo Back-to-School Deal Apple's MacBook line has long been the gold standard for luxe laptops, with sleek industrial design and competitive performance. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 20 July 2026

Dollar obituaries are a regular feature of public discourse since at least 1971 when Nixon finished off the gold standard. — Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, Fortune, 17 July 2026

Long regarded as the gold standard for player development, the organization had seen its once-deep pipeline burst in recent years. — Jesús Cano, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Rhymes for the gold standard

• meandered
• nonstandard
• substandard
• slandered