diamond

diamond — noun

1. a very hard, clear crystal made of pure carbon that miners dig from the ground a

1.nounB1
Definition

a very hard, clear crystal made of pure carbon that miners dig from the ground and people prize for jewellery and industrial cutting tools.

Example

Adaeze wore a small diamond on her ring finger at the wedding ceremony.

diamond as countable gemstone on jewellery

The mine in South Africa produces some of the finest diamonds in the world.

Common collocations
  • rough diamond
  • diamond mine
  • diamond ring
  • diamond necklace
  • diamond cutter
  • diamond trade
Synonyms
  • gem

    broader term; any precious or semi-precious stone, not exclusively diamond

  • jewel

    also broader; refers to a cut and polished gem, often set in jewellery

Grammar Patterns

diamond [noun] as modifier

a/the diamond

Usage Note

Often used as a modifier before another noun, e.g. diamond ring, diamond mine, diamond cutter.

Common Mistakes

She bought a diamond made of glass.
She bought a diamond made of pure carbon.
True diamonds are carbon crystals, not glass.

2. jewellery or decorative objects that contain diamonds, or diamonds considered as

2.nounB1
Definition

jewellery or decorative objects that contain diamonds, or diamonds considered as a type of valuable items to wear.

Example

The thieves stole diamonds worth over two million dollars from the museum.

diamonds as valuable items, mass noun

Nellie prefers simple silver jewellery to diamonds for everyday office wear.

Common collocations
  • set of diamonds
  • collection of diamonds
  • wear diamonds
  • diamonds and pearls
Synonyms
  • jewellery

    broader term; includes all decorative items worn, not just those with diamonds

Usage Note

When referring to diamond jewellery collectively, diamonds is treated as a plural uncountable noun (e.g. She loves diamonds). As a countable noun it may refer to individual pieces or stones.

3. a flat shape that has four sides of matching length, with two corners wider than

3.nounA2
Definition

a flat shape that has four sides of matching length, with two corners wider than a square's right angle and two corners narrower, typically drawn with a point at the top.

Example

The old quilt had blue diamonds stitched across its white cotton surface.

diamond pattern on fabric

Children on the street drew a large diamond on the pavement with coloured chalk.

Common collocations
  • diamond shape
  • diamond pattern
  • diamond-shaped
  • in a diamond
  • diamond design
Synonyms
  • rhombus

    formal geometric term for the same shape; less common in daily speech

Grammar Patterns

diamond shape

in a diamond

Usage Note

In geometry this shape is called a rhombus. In everyday language, diamond is far more common than rhombus.

Common Mistakes

The shape has four sides of different lengths.
The diamond has four sides of equal length.
A diamond (rhombus) has equal sides, though angles differ.

4. the square-shaped area in the middle of a baseball ground, with a base at each c

4.nounB2
Definition

the square-shaped area in the middle of a baseball ground, with a base at each corner, or the entire playing surface for the sport.

Example

The shortstop threw the ball across the diamond to first base for the final out.

diamond = baseball infield area

The groundskeeper carefully raked the diamond before the championship game started.

Common collocations
  • step onto the diamond
  • across the diamond
  • rake the diamond
  • the baseball diamond
Synonyms
  • infield

    the inner part of a baseball field, specifically the area around the bases

  • ball field

    general term for any baseball field

Usage Note

Strictly speaking, the diamond is the infield area between the bases. In casual use, it can refer to the entire baseball field.

5. the category of playing cards that show small red diamond-shaped symbols; it is

5.nounA2
Definition

the category of playing cards that show small red diamond-shaped symbols; it is a member of the standard deck's four card families, alongside hearts, spades, and clubs.

Example

At the poker table, Lin's hand contained three diamonds, giving her a strong chance to win the round.

suit name: diamonds as a countable category

Élise shuffled the deck and dealt each player seven cards from the diamonds suit.

Common collocations
  • suit of diamonds
  • ace/king/queen/jack of diamonds

Usage Note

The four suits in order of rank in many games: spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. When referring to the suit as a category, diamonds can be treated as singular (Diamonds is the lowest suit in bridge).

6. an individual playing card that belongs to the diamond suit, showing one or more

6.nounA2
Definition

an individual playing card that belongs to the diamond suit, showing one or more red diamond-shaped symbols.

Example

Sari laid the queen of diamonds on the table and smiled at her winning hand.

pattern: [rank] of diamonds

The only card Eitan needed to complete the sequence was the seven of diamonds.

Common collocations
  • a diamond
  • the [rank] of diamonds

Grammar Patterns

the/that + [rank] of diamonds

Usage Note

Sense 5 refers to the suit as a category; this sense refers to the individual card. The phrase 'a diamond' in card contexts always means a single playing card of the diamond suit.

diamond — adjective

diamond — verb

diamond — idiom

Word family

  • diamonded
    adjectiveC1
  • diamondiferous
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Diamond, gem, jewel, and crystal all refer to precious or attractive mineral objects, but with different scopes. Diamond specifically means a crystalline form of pure carbon — the hardest natural substance — valued for its brilliance and rarity. Gem is a broader term for any precious or semi-precious stone that has been cut and polished, including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Jewel is broader still: it can refer to any decorative item made of precious materials, often including the metal setting alongside the stone(s). Crystal overlaps with diamond only in appearance, as it refers to any transparent mineral with a regular molecular structure — glass crystal, quartz, and ice can all be called crystal, but they are far softer and less valuable than diamond. For example: 'She wore a diamond on her finger' suggests a specific stone, while 'She wore a jewel' could mean a brooch, a bracelet, or a necklace set with any precious stone. 'The crown was covered in gems' includes diamonds and other precious stones, whereas 'the crown sparkled with crystals' suggests imitation stones or glass.

diamond ↗gem ↗jewel ↗crystal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • diamond ring
  • diamond necklace
  • diamond mine
  • diamond cutter
  • diamond trade

Phrases

  • diamond in the rough
  • a diamond of the first water

Prepositions

  • set with diamonds
  • made of diamonds
  • studded with diamonds

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word diamond comes from the Latin adamas, meaning 'invincible' or 'unconquerable', referring to the hardness of the stone. This passed into Old French as diamant, and then into Middle English as diamaunt or diamond. The Greek root adamas (ἀδάμας) also gives us the word 'adamant' (unyielding).