Sometimes Grail any greatly desired and sought-after objective; ultimate ideal or reward.
The film's protagonist is defined by the struggle for his grail, a championship title he failed to win earlier in life.
Often the Grail Holy Grail.
Weeks pass, and none of the knights return, so King Arthur himself must quest for the Grail.
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English graiel, graile, from Anglo-French grahel, grayel, Old French gräel, grel, from Medieval Latin gradālis “platter,” of uncertain origin; perhaps distantly connected to Latin crātēr “mixing bowl” ( see crater ( def. )) or crātis “wickerwork” ( see grate 1 ( def. ))
A grail is some valuable thing you search for or pursue. A golfer's holy grail might be a hole in one. While the object of any serious pursuit is commonly described as a "holy grail," many who use the term might not know its origin. The original Holy Grail is a valuable chalice, cup, or plate — often made of gold — that's sought in medieval and Arthurian legends. The influence of Christianity makes the grail "holy," originally because it was said to have been used at the Last Supper. Grail has a Medieval Latin root, gradalis, "flat dish."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
AGI is short for artificial general intelligence, the holy grail in the AI world.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Nature produces few truly blue plants and minerals, making blue the holy grail of natural food dyes, said Paul Manning, chief executive of dye manufacturer Sensient Technologies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Long the holy grail of robotics, they are getting close: robots can now grip with a delicate touch, and some sensors can even tell when they are touching human skin.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
She recently found the holy grail of shirts for her - the Super Furry Animals-sponsored Cardiff City shirt - a legendary piece of Welsh football and music history.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
“It’s an overrated game that people, especially New Yorkers, think is the friggin’ holy grail of games.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
Now the Holy Grail is online influencers, who are seen as more authentic, and trusted, by hard-to-reach voters who don't watch much TV or read newspapers.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Think Lionel Messi finally claiming his personal Holy Grail with Argentina in Doha in 2022.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
AI might be the Holy Grail of technology buffs, but it’s a poisoned chalice for the job market.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
In general, the Grail test’s detection of early stage cancer in its previous studies is low at 20% to 30%, Ramsey notes; it’s 40% for cancers at any stage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
“But three of them beat Halliday’s score and are now inside the Grail simulation.”
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
On the subject of holy grails, there’s the first recording by Lenny Kaye, “Crazy Like A Fox,” released under the nom de guerre Link Cromwell.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
One of the holy grails of trucking is to find a way to reduce the one-third of trips that big rigs are believed to spend hauling empty trailers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
“This has been one of the holy grails of remedying the Korean discount, and there’s at least a 50-50 chance of it passing this year,” he says.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
Bargain Hunt star Richard Madley, from Cardiff, dubbed the text "one of the holy grails".
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2024
This life-chase after bubbles, this fighting for trifles, this pursuit of false grails, reminds us of the story of that Grecian boy lured to his death by the enchantress.
From The Investment of Influence A Study of Social Sympathy and Service by Hillis, Newell Dwight
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.
