Holy Grail

noun

1

: grail

2

often not capitalized : an object or goal that is sought after for its great significance

Examples of Holy Grail in a Sentence

Finding a cure for cancer is the holy grail of medical researchers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Monetary policy’s Holy Grail is money, not interest rates. —Nino Paoli, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025

Even though Rotel Sausage Dip tends to reign supreme in Southern households come football season, there’s one more appetizer that just might be tailgating’s Holy Grail: chicken wings. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025

For Waabi, this means briskly getting from idea to product and to revenue – a Holy Grail for any startup. —Richard Bishop, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

But the batteries are expensive to research and difficult to manufacture at a large scale, giving them a reputation for being a Holy Grail for battery engineers all over the world. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Holy Grail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

Holy Grail

noun

-ˈgrā(ə)l

: the cup or platter which according to legend was used by Christ and was sought after by knights during the Middle Ages