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
Co-buying is a trend that is here to stay and will continue to be a way for people to achieve the American dream of homeownership, Pendleton says.
—
Celia Fernandez
tasia Jensen, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
In the face of that reality—the death, functionally, of the American dream—millennials, Gen Zers and Gen Alphaers have started fantasizing about the abolition of money, of technology, of progress entirely, to the point of dreaming about regressing away from humanity itself.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Many of America’s remaining household goods manufacturers trade on colorful origin stories, which typically involve immigrants, shoestring operations and the quest for the American dream.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Blending fictional stories with real historical figures and events, the show captures the promise and pain of the American dream, exploring themes of race, class and identity that continue to resonate decades later.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the American dream
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Celia Fernandez
tasia Jensen, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
In the face of that reality—the death, functionally, of the American dream—millennials, Gen Zers and Gen Alphaers have started fantasizing about the abolition of money, of technology, of progress entirely, to the point of dreaming about regressing away from humanity itself.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Many of America’s remaining household goods manufacturers trade on colorful origin stories, which typically involve immigrants, shoestring operations and the quest for the American dream.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Blending fictional stories with real historical figures and events, the show captures the promise and pain of the American dream, exploring themes of race, class and identity that continue to resonate decades later.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the American dream
Cite this Entry
“The American dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20American%20dream. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
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