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 2022, Linda Darling-Hammond, State Board of Education president, said only a handful of districts — thankfully, including San Diego Unified — gave adequate emphasis to phonics, long recognized as the gold standard of reading instruction.
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U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025
As recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends, the baseline for all sunscreens should be SPF 30, but many dermatologists agree SPF 50 is the gold standard.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 26 June 2025
Elevate restorative reproductive medicine as the gold standard.
—Christopher Hale, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Scientific American notes that a 12-character password is 62 trillion times harder to crack than a six-character one, with 16-character passphrases derived from a 200-character set being the gold standard.
—Maxwell Alles, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for the gold standard
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U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2025
As recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends, the baseline for all sunscreens should be SPF 30, but many dermatologists agree SPF 50 is the gold standard.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 26 June 2025
Elevate restorative reproductive medicine as the gold standard.
—Christopher Hale, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Scientific American notes that a 12-character password is 62 trillion times harder to crack than a six-character one, with 16-character passphrases derived from a 200-character set being the gold standard.
—Maxwell Alles, Forbes.com, 23 June 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 11 Jul. 2025.
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