the American dream

noun phrase

variants or the American Dream

: a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful

With good jobs, a nice house, two children, and plenty of money, they believed they were living the American dream.

Examples of the American dream in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For many, her realization cut through both political spin and economic theory to illustrate how profoundly many feel the American dream has shifted. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025

Cortes was one of 101 students expected to cross the stage at Cristo Rey’s 20th graduation Saturday at the school in Waukegan, as all but one — who will be joining the U.S. Air Force — go to college and hopefully fulfill the American dream. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025

While the American dream means different things to different people, it’s often built on earnest hopes: a fresh start, a safe home or even just a sense that tomorrow will be better than today. —Lindsey Downing, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

Cohen turns this tabloid whodunit into a searching examination of the American dream, our fascination with lurid tragedy and the cost of perfection. —John Cassidy, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for the American dream

• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• esteem
• extreme
• grapheme
• hakim
• hornbeam
• lexeme
• mainstream