real McCoy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Banknotes were merely promises to pay money, i.e., credit, not the monetary real McCoy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Graham Taylor, who started Helix Biotech last year, says labs have shown that their mimics trigger similar immune responses to the real McCoy.

From Science Magazine • May 30, 2023

Chicken wings — the real McCoy — are the most expensive part of the bird these days, Oosterwijk said.

From Washington Post • Sep. 4, 2020

But like “Gilligan’s Island” spinoffs “The New Adventures of Gilligan” and “Gilligan’s Planet,” they can’t seem to capture the magic of the real McCoy — and they’re at risk of being canceled because of it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2019

Even though I knew it was useless I tried tugging at the bars but they were the real McCoy, solid steel.

From "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis