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Synonyms

golden goose

American  

noun

  1. a legendary goose that laid one golden egg a day and was killed by its impatient owner, who wanted all the gold immediately.

golden goose British  

noun

  1. a goose in folklore that laid a golden egg a day until its greedy owner killed it in an attempt to get all the gold at once

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

It was a terrible time for the Ivy League’s golden goose to stop laying eggs.

From The Wall Street Journal

But OpenAI’s golden goose is not selling fancy coding software to businesses.

From Slate

SpaceX has long been considered a golden goose by IPO bankers.

From The Wall Street Journal

He is wildly popular both stateside and abroad, a commercial golden goose who is critically acclaimed and commands legions of ardent fans.

From Barron's

“Like the golden goose,” Hannah said.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.