the goose that lays the golden egg
noun phrase
: something that is a very good source of money or business
Examples of the goose that lays the golden egg in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That's killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
—
Amiee White Beazley, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2025
Their owners don’t like risk and won’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
—Ivanka Visnjic and Ronnie Leten, Harvard Business Review, 9 Oct. 2024
Having had a chance to construct a world that had some order and charm to it, the Far West engaged in the national pursuit of killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
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Amiee White Beazley, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2025
Their owners don’t like risk and won’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
—Ivanka Visnjic and Ronnie Leten, Harvard Business Review, 9 Oct. 2024
Having had a chance to construct a world that had some order and charm to it, the Far West engaged in the national pursuit of killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“The goose that lays the golden egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20goose%20that%20lays%20the%20golden%20egg. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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