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

A Stanford software engineering degree used to be a golden ticket.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025

That was the golden ticket, because Martha Karolyi would select the next artistic gymnastics women’s senior and junior national teams based on the results at Nationals.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles