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
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
Those are the stakes if Trump is indeed the GOP nominee or if another candidate like bully-boy Florida Governor Ron DeSantis snags the brass ring.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 9 Oct. 2023
What’s the brass ring for you? Making people feel seen and understood.
—Bob Guccione Jr., SPIN, 25 May 2023
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
Those are the stakes if Trump is indeed the GOP nominee or if another candidate like bully-boy Florida Governor Ron DeSantis snags the brass ring.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 9 Oct. 2023
What’s the brass ring for you? Making people feel seen and understood.
—Bob Guccione Jr., SPIN, 25 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the brass ring.' 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 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 27 Apr. 2024.
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