golden ticket

noun

plural golden tickets

: an extremely valuable opportunity or means of access to something desired

Back in 2005, the little-known playwright Glen Berger snagged a golden ticket of a job: writing the script for a Spider-Man musical directed by the MacArthur-certified genius Julie Taymor (The Lion King), with a score by U2's Bono and the Edge.—

Thom Geier

The bachelor's degree, he thinks, is the golden ticket that makes a career and everything else possible.—

Thomas Frank

… everyone I fight, I am their golden ticket because they know if they can beat me, they will make a name for themselves and go on to bigger and better things.—

James Degale

Examples of golden ticket 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.

For the Greenlanders, their mineral wealth represents a golden ticket to economic and political independence from Denmark. —

Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025 Coding boot camps once looked like the golden ticket to an economically secure future. —

Steve Lohr, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024 This legal drama is all about charters—the golden tickets that guarantee teams a spot in each NASCAR Cup race. —

Greg Engle, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 During the 90-120 minute trip, the conductor will punch everyone's golden ticket and Santa will visit briefly with each family. —

Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for golden ticket

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of golden ticket was in 1890

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Golden ticket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/golden%20ticket. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation