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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Elway acknowledged that pulling double duty at the Open next month was a pipe dream but cherished his round nonetheless.
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Where a house that sells for less than $200,000 is increasingly a pipe dream.
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Indeed, when developer Irwin Cohen paid about $10 million for the foreclosed mortgage debt on the building in 1990, the thought of bringing tourists to that part of town was just a pipe dream.
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The Browns have dropped their last six games against the Steelers, so catching up to Pittsburgh this quickly seems like a pipe dream.
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Still, there are signs that seizing the Senate is no longer a pipe dream.
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Still, there are signs that seizing the Senate is no longer a pipe dream.
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In hindsight [his previous comeback attempts were] a big pipe dream.
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Journalists seem particularly prone to the escapist pipe dream.
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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