the real thing

noun

: something that is genuine and not a copy or imitation : something that is truly valuable or important

The diamond turned out to be the real thing.

You've done very well in your training. Let's just hope you're ready for the real thing.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The audience doesn’t necessarily need fur on screen to be the real thing. —Todd Plummer, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Apr. 2023

Under it all, though, as one schmaltzy cliché follows another, this becomes more the glorification of beauty than the real thing. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2023

And while artificial sweeteners may be able to satisfy our taste buds’ initial desires for sugar, a 2022 study indicates that our guts know the difference and communicate to our brains their preference for the real thing. —Susan Puckett, CNN, 14 Mar. 2023

There’s nothing like the real thing. —Theresa Holland, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2023

So why settle for anything but the real thing? —IEEE Spectrum, 5 Dec. 2019

The newest fragrance to join the Paco Rabanne family is FAME, a fruity and sweet perfume that manages to smell like the real thing, not replications. —Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 31 Mar. 2023

Shaken with lemon juice and—continuing the clean theme—a zero-proof gin alternative, the resulting tipple satisfies just like the real thing. —Sarah Karnasiewicz, WSJ, 31 Mar. 2023

There are a few tattoo booths — not airbrush tattoos, the real thing. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2023

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