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
There was also the shame of walking down the hall to claim his free meal tickets.
—
Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2024
That prime placement on a popular search query is Bryan’s meal ticket.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Money should be used to fund facilities that care for the elderly and the veterans, not outsiders looking for a free meal ticket and housing.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 May 2024
One wall is covered with meal tickets that customers have already paid for, hoping to help the next person in need.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Tight ends are meal tickets in crunch time A Batman always needs his Robin in a passing league.
—Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
One dad in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said he's seen parents become convinced these kids are their meal tickets and point fingers at the coach if the kid struggles.
—Stephen Borelli, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024
Weigh all that against putting him on the field when left tackle Trent Williams may or may not be there, and a youthful Rams player hoping to make a name for himself gets a clean shot at the 49ers’ meal ticket.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024
Tickets: Visit Capital One Dining for details on multi-course meal tickets.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023
Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2024
That prime placement on a popular search query is Bryan’s meal ticket.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
Money should be used to fund facilities that care for the elderly and the veterans, not outsiders looking for a free meal ticket and housing.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 May 2024
One wall is covered with meal tickets that customers have already paid for, hoping to help the next person in need.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Tight ends are meal tickets in crunch time A Batman always needs his Robin in a passing league.
—Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
One dad in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said he's seen parents become convinced these kids are their meal tickets and point fingers at the coach if the kid struggles.
—Stephen Borelli, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024
Weigh all that against putting him on the field when left tackle Trent Williams may or may not be there, and a youthful Rams player hoping to make a name for himself gets a clean shot at the 49ers’ meal ticket.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024
Tickets: Visit Capital One Dining for details on multi-course meal tickets.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meal ticket.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near meal ticket
Cite this Entry
“Meal ticket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meal%20ticket. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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