golden ticket

American

[gohl-duhn tik-it] / ˈgoʊl dən ˈtɪk ɪt /

noun

Informal.

a way or chance to obtain something valuable or desirable that is often hard to get.

A lot of parents think that getting into a prestigious university is a golden ticket, but you have to work hard to make that opportunity count.
The serum contains proven ingredients that are a golden ticket to longer, healthier nails.

Etymology

Origin of golden ticket

First recorded in 1680–90

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.

See Examples For:

golden ticket

A computer-science degree is no longer a golden ticket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Coppa del Duce, more than 90 years on, comes shaped like a golden ticket.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Beware of assuming that if an adviser who typically serves wealthier people makes an exception for you, it’s a golden ticket.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026

The IIT degree, long India's most coveted credential, is beginning to look less like a golden ticket and more like a lottery.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026

We had been through so much to get our golden ticket to America.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

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