the golden goose
noun
: something that is a very good source of money or business
The city's leaders don't want to do anything that could kill the golden goose of tourism.
Examples of the golden goose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In every sense, tourism is the golden goose that benefits every San Diegan.
—
Bob Rauch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
The suggestion that all of this could be manipulated at the risk of ending careers and killing the golden goose does not hold up to scrutiny.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025
Huang will never forgive Smith for killing the golden goose, and Smith will probably never take responsibility for it (to judge by the Instagram message with him that Huang shares in the film), but that’s not really what this raw and well-relished documentary is all about.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
International students — long the golden goose for universities and colleges in advanced economies — face an increasingly uncertain future as governments seek easy targets to rein in surging immigration.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 17 Aug. 2024
The golden calf, the golden fleece, the golden ratio, the golden hour, the golden goose—anything gold is profoundly desirable, sometimes driving its seekers to ruin or madness.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
However, the golden goose of opportunity was commandeered by competition and circumstances.
—Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 17 June 2024
Hopefully, the Economic Policy Center’s research will persuade political and civic leaders to stop taking the state’s economy for granted and reconsider policies that are strangling the golden goose.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024
But the golden goose of any balikbayan box is Spam.
—Ashley Wong, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
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Bob Rauch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
The suggestion that all of this could be manipulated at the risk of ending careers and killing the golden goose does not hold up to scrutiny.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025
Huang will never forgive Smith for killing the golden goose, and Smith will probably never take responsibility for it (to judge by the Instagram message with him that Huang shares in the film), but that’s not really what this raw and well-relished documentary is all about.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
International students — long the golden goose for universities and colleges in advanced economies — face an increasingly uncertain future as governments seek easy targets to rein in surging immigration.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 17 Aug. 2024
The golden calf, the golden fleece, the golden ratio, the golden hour, the golden goose—anything gold is profoundly desirable, sometimes driving its seekers to ruin or madness.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024
However, the golden goose of opportunity was commandeered by competition and circumstances.
—Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 17 June 2024
Hopefully, the Economic Policy Center’s research will persuade political and civic leaders to stop taking the state’s economy for granted and reconsider policies that are strangling the golden goose.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024
But the golden goose of any balikbayan box is Spam.
—Ashley Wong, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“The golden goose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20golden%20goose. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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