to bear the palm
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To be the best. The allusion is to the Roman custom of giving the victorious gladiator a branch of the palm tree.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to bear the palm” mean?
To be the best. The allusion is to the Roman custom of giving the victorious gladiator a branch of the palm tree.
Is “to bear the palm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.