meal ticket
noun
: one that serves as the ultimate source of one's income
an advanced degree was his meal ticket
Examples of meal ticket in a Sentence
a star player who is expected to be the team's meal ticket for many years
An advanced degree was his meal ticket.
We bought three meal tickets at the fair.
Recent Examples on the Web
But another way to put that is that the Jackson 5, led by Michael and his mini James Brown moves and unprecedented soprano soul virtuosity (no child in history has sung with that adult phrasing), are going to be his meal ticket.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
An indie rock band struggling to make its mark finds a possible meal ticket in an infectious new guitar riff.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Plus, Unwell County Fair-goers got two free drink tickets, a meal ticket (Friday's was a taco, chips and queso from Torchy’s) and the opportunity to watch handsome, shirtless men get pied by women or submerged in a dunk tank.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
There were hints of potential trouble — he was often said to be drunk on camera — but few dared to mess with their meal tickets, so to speak.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for meal ticket
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Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
An indie rock band struggling to make its mark finds a possible meal ticket in an infectious new guitar riff.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Plus, Unwell County Fair-goers got two free drink tickets, a meal ticket (Friday's was a taco, chips and queso from Torchy’s) and the opportunity to watch handsome, shirtless men get pied by women or submerged in a dunk tank.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
There were hints of potential trouble — he was often said to be drunk on camera — but few dared to mess with their meal tickets, so to speak.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for meal ticket
Cite this Entry
“Meal ticket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meal%20ticket. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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