# meal ticket

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/meal-ticket
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Someone or something that provides income or livelihood, especially as an exploited source.

## Examples

- He treats his famous brother like a meal ticket.
- The struggling actor realized his wealthy partner was only interested in him as a meal ticket.
- She eventually grew tired of being viewed merely as a meal ticket by those who only sought to profit from her professional success.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.