Definition of pipe dream
: an illusory or fantastic plan, hope, or story
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Examples of pipe dream in a Sentence
His plan for starting his own business was just a pipe dream.
opening our own restaurant has long been a pipe dream
Recent Examples of pipe dream from the Web
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Journalists seem particularly prone to the escapist pipe dream.
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In these volatile economic times, a 25 percent pay raise might seem like a pipe dream.
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What makes acting an insane pipe dream for Barry specifically is that silent killers do not, as a rule, put their headshots on IMDb.
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But even a single men’s team event is looking like a pipe dream for tennis at the moment.
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Using unmanned aerial vehicles for door-to-door deliveries seemed like a laughable pipe dream when Amazon tossed out the fanciful idea on 60 Minutes in December 2013.
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Photographer: Matt Martin, Prop stylist: Jennifer Trann Call it a pipe dream, but there's something extra satisfying—and extra social—about lighting up the old-fashioned way.
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Such an expansive vision might seem beyond us – a pipe dream from another time.
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Though numerous factors conspire against getting a deal done, the involvement of the Issel and the visibility of potential investors make the erstwhile pipe dream more plausible.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pipe dream.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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, fantasy (also phantasy), figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm (also fantasm), unreality, vision;
Related Words
ignis fatuus, mirage, will-o'-the-wisp;
concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention;
envisaging, imaging, visualization;
Phrases
castle in Spain, castle in the air;
PIPE DREAM Defined for English Language Learners
pipe dream
Definition of pipe dream for English Language Learners
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: a hope, wish, or dream that is impossible to achieve or not practical
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See words that rhyme with pipe dream Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pipe dream Spanish Central: Translation of pipe dream
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