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pipe dream

noun

Definition of pipe dream

  1. :  an illusory or fantastic plan, hope, or story

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Examples of pipe dream in a Sentence

  1. His plan for starting his own business was just a pipe dream.

  2. opening our own restaurant has long been a pipe dream

Origin and Etymology of pipe dream

from the fantasies brought about by the smoking of opium

pipe dream Synonyms

Synonyms
chimera, conceit, daydream, delusion, dream, fancy, figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm (also fantasm), fantasy, unreality, vision
Related Words
ignis fatuus, mirage, will-o'-the-wisp; brainchild, idea; concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention; envisaging, imaging, visualization; cloud-cuckoo-land, cloudland, Shangri-la, utopia; daymare, nightmare
Near Antonyms
actuality, fact, reality

PIPE DREAM Defined for English Language Learners

pipe dream

noun

Definition of pipe dream for English Language Learners

  • : a hope, wish, or dream that is impossible to achieve or not practical

Learn More about pipe dream

  1. See words that rhyme with pipe dream Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pipe dream

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pipe dream

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Examples: pipe dream in a Sentence