the brass ring
noun
US, informal
: a very desirable prize, goal, or opportunity
He made his first try for the brass ring when he ran for mayor a few years ago.
—often used in phrases like grab the brass ring and go for the brass ringShe's decided to go for the brass ring and start her own business.
Examples of the brass ring in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That doesn’t feel like the brass ring that will make or break my career.
—
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
Rotate the brass ring to move the selector around and press again to make a selection.
—Eric Zeman, PCMAG, 9 Aug. 2024
For Israel, this last country would be the brass ring.
—Michael Singh, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Despite 35 appearances at the Big Dance and hailing from the huge hoops state of Indiana, where Indiana University has two national titles and Butler has been to the Final Four twice, the brass ring has been just a hair too high for Purdue.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Founders were underdog talents reaching for the brass ring of glory.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
That was the brass ring that meant that your show was gonna go on and have a life after its initial run and live for decades.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Mar. 2024
The Miami Eight get their second shot at the brass ring Sunday when the 49ers face the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024
But the resulting 16-bit processor would miss its chance at the brass ring—being chosen to power the IBM Personal Computer.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 June 2017
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illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
Rotate the brass ring to move the selector around and press again to make a selection.
—Eric Zeman, PCMAG, 9 Aug. 2024
For Israel, this last country would be the brass ring.
—Michael Singh, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
Despite 35 appearances at the Big Dance and hailing from the huge hoops state of Indiana, where Indiana University has two national titles and Butler has been to the Final Four twice, the brass ring has been just a hair too high for Purdue.
—NBC News, 7 Apr. 2024
Founders were underdog talents reaching for the brass ring of glory.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024
That was the brass ring that meant that your show was gonna go on and have a life after its initial run and live for decades.
—Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Mar. 2024
The Miami Eight get their second shot at the brass ring Sunday when the 49ers face the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024
But the resulting 16-bit processor would miss its chance at the brass ring—being chosen to power the IBM Personal Computer.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 June 2017
Dictionary Entries Near the brass ring
Cite this Entry
“The brass ring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20brass%20ring. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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