brass ring

American  

noun

Informal.

1. wealth, success, or a prestigious position considered as a goal or prize.

   Few of those who reach for the brass ring of the Presidency achieve it.

2. the opportunity to try for such a prize.

---

brass ring Idioms  

1. A chance to achieve wealth or success; a prize or reward. For example, “As a businessman he let the brass ring go by too many times. And it got him.” This quotation from the Boston Globe (July 31, 1995) refers to an executive who was forced to resign. The term comes from the practice of giving a free ride to the person who succeeded in picking a ring out of a box while riding a merry-go-round. [Slang; late 1800s]

---

Etymology

Origin of brass ring

From the practice of picking a ring from a box while riding a merry-go-round: whoever selected a brass ring received a free ride

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brass ring

For many decades, the ultimate brass ring on Wall Street was grabbing a top position at one of the nation’s largest commercial or investment banks—the management committee at JPMorgan or a partnership at Goldman Sachs.

From Barron's ● Dec. 5, 2025

There is still a lot of opportunity in our country but the high cost of living and the wealth gap makes it more difficult to reach for the brass ring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025

It’s about her needing to have that brass ring no matter what.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2025

There is no ladder of success in the business, there is no brass ring at the end.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2023

Next to the sign was a knocker—a lion's head with a brass ring in its mouth, which Victor had polished just that morning.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke