golden ticket

American  

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

noun

Informal.

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of golden ticket

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

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

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Melissa Krider thought she’d won the golden ticket when she discovered she’d been selected in the Great Smoky Mountains lottery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 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

Paul has quickly become boxing's golden ticket - a measure of where the sport's power now sits.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

It was a golden ticket to another world—but also to the dizzying idea that the life she wanted, that she dreamed about, might actually happen for her.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore