MEANING
1. To cover a surface with a thin layer of gold or a gold-like finish.
2. To give something a more attractive appearance, sometimes hiding its defects.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- gild a frame
- gilded surface
On the page
Artisans gilded the carved edges of the screen.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- gild
- Past tense
- gilded or gilt
- Past participle
- gilded or gilt
- Present participle
- gilding
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- gild
- Present continuous
- am/is/are gilding
- Present perfect
- have/has gilded or gilt
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been gilding
- Past
- gilded or gilt
- Past continuous
- was/were gilding
- Past perfect
- had gilded or gilt
- Past perfect continuous
- had been gilding
- Future
- will gild
- Future continuous
- will be gilding
- Future perfect
- will have gilded or gilt
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been gilding
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: gild; gilds; gilded or gilt; gilded or gilt; gilding Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: gilds.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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