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

That too is part of the American dream. —Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026

My great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War for the Wisconsin 11th Infantry to achieve the American dream. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

For the many of the venders at Ruby’s Market, the chance to sell their unique, handmade foods is the beginning of the American dream. —Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026

Achieving the typical milestones of the American dream—like having a suburban house, two kids, and a car parked in the driveway—costs a staggering $5 million, according to a 2025 analysis from financial media site Investopedia. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for the American dream

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