golden calf

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Let me say this plainly: this is not a golden calf," he said later that night on X, referring to the Old Testament idol that famously made Moses irate after he received the Commandments.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

The focus on the fate of the golden calf is understandable.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2023

Since then, the concept of the worshiping of a "golden calf" has become a stand-in for a supreme act of apostasy, the rejection of a faith once confessed.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2020

A golden calf in Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron Facebook Twitter Pinterest Golden years: the half-ton bull on stage during Moses und Aron.

From The Guardian • Mar. 29, 2016

Trotter sucked in her breath and glowered down at her like Moses at the Israelites’ golden calf.

From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson