gelt

noun

ˈgelt

informal : money

Guilt turns to gelt as Stephanie's wealthy parents … welcome their disowned daughter back with open arms and open coffers.—TV Guide

: chocolate candy in the shape of coins often given to Jewish children at Hanukkah

Lila thought of Sarah's party—how everyone got bags of Hanukkah gelt, chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.—Rosellen Brown

Examples of gelt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Each letter on the dreidel instructs a player to add gelt to the pot, take from the pot, or do nothing. — Marina Johnson, IndyStar, 18 Dec. 2025 Revelers can also play dreidel and Connect 4 with Hanukkah gelt. — Samantha Nelson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Dec. 2024 Golda or Goldie - Many families celebrate Hanukkah with gelt, chocolate coins covered in golden foil. — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 19 Dec. 2025 Enjoy a community candle lighting event featuring doughnuts, dreidels, music, latkes, gelt, balloons and more. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gelt

Word History

Etymology

Dutch & German geld & Yiddish gelt; all akin to Old English geld geld entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of gelt was circa 1529

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

gel strength

gelt

gem

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Gelt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gelt. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

gelt

noun

Examples of gelt in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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