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
Accomplished in a bedroom with orange shag carpet and with a crude recording system, Springsteen confronted the dark side of the American dream, as ghosts from his past were catching up to him too quickly for mentor Jon Landau to help beat them back.
—
Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
In a way, a start rejection of the myth of the American dream.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Mortgage rates are already frustratingly high, spending most of the year stuck near 7%, contributing to the affordability crisis that has pushed the American dream of homeownership out of reach for far too many.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
And a land value tax discourages the sort of speculative investments that have helped turn the American dream of home ownership into an inflation-evading game of musical chairs.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the American dream
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Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
In a way, a start rejection of the myth of the American dream.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Mortgage rates are already frustratingly high, spending most of the year stuck near 7%, contributing to the affordability crisis that has pushed the American dream of homeownership out of reach for far too many.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
And a land value tax discourages the sort of speculative investments that have helped turn the American dream of home ownership into an inflation-evading game of musical chairs.
—Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 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 8 Sep. 2025.
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