pipe dream

noun

: an illusory or fantastic plan, hope, or story

Synonyms of pipe dream

• dream
• illusion
• daydream
• fantasy
• vision
• castle in the air
• castle in Spain

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 on the Web

Before 1999, the thought of all your favorite video game characters beating the tar out of each other on the same video game console felt like a pipe dream. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

All while kicking the pipe dream to the next window of opportunity. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 26 July 2026

That number was still a pipe dream weeks later when, as the story goes, Mary Kay borrowed twelve dollars to hightail it to Dallas for a Stanley sales rally. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain's pitch for a four-day workweek for assembly workers was brushed aside as a pipe dream. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 13 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the fantasies brought about by the smoking of opium

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pipe dream

• academe
• cherubim
• elohim
• episteme
• seraphim
• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• esteem
• extreme

Kids Definition

pipe dream

noun

: an unreal and fantastic idea, wish, or story