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
Peer review is often taken to be the gold standard for science, where if a scientific paper can pass peer review, that means it’s been reviewed by editors and referees to be correct, and that others vouch for it.
—
Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025
Systematic reviews are the gold standard for evaluating medical evidence—the safety net for modern medicine.
—Anna Forsythe, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Lilly's shot is the gold standard in terms of efficacy, Skovronsky said.
—Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
But her brother George, on the other hand, did go to college, to Harvard, in fact, the gold standard in the Glessner family.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the gold standard
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Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025
Systematic reviews are the gold standard for evaluating medical evidence—the safety net for modern medicine.
—Anna Forsythe, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Lilly's shot is the gold standard in terms of efficacy, Skovronsky said.
—Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
But her brother George, on the other hand, did go to college, to Harvard, in fact, the gold standard in the Glessner family.
—Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 10 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 20 Sep. 2025.
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