gilds

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Covers the surface of something with a thin layer of gold or gold-coloured paint.

   Grammar: Takes an object: she gilds the frame.

   Patterns

   • gild something
   • gild something with something

   The artist gilds each frame by hand.

   She gilds the edges of the pages with gold leaf.

   He gilds the statue before the festival.

2. 2verbtransitivefigurative

   Makes something look more attractive or impressive, often by adding unnecessary decoration or praise.

   Grammar: Takes an object and is often used in gild the lily.

   Patterns

   • gild something
   • gild the lily

   He gilds every story he tells with a few extra details.

   The report gilds the company's results to please investors.

   Adding more icing only gilds the lily on this cake.

Word forms

Common combinations

gilds the lily

Another coat of paint just gilds the lily.

gild with gold leaf

The workshop gilds domes with gold leaf.

gilds the truth

She gilds the truth when she talks about her past.

gilds the frame

A craftsman gilds the frame before it is hung.

Synonyms and how they differ

embellish

Embellish is the general word for adding decoration or extra detail, while gild suggests a golden or flattering surface.

adorn

Adorn means to decorate and sounds more formal, without the idea of covering with gold.

gloss

Gloss suggests covering over faults to make something look better, while gild implies adding shine to something already good.

Opposites

Word family

gild verb

the base form

gilded adjective

covered with gold, or showy and privileged

gilding noun

gold covering or decoration

gilder noun

a person whose job is to apply gold

Commonly confused: gilds or guild?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “gilds”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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