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

Food, housing and the cost of ordinary life are putting the American dream further out of reach. — Randy Ross, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2026

Trump’s immigration crackdown has put the American dream on hold for aspiring immigrants, who remain unsure whether the election will bring meaningful policy changes. — Laurie Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026

Like the Democratic candidates in Connecticut, Schubert wants to keep the American dream alive for new generations. — Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Aside from electoral politics, the poll showed widespread uneasiness about the economy and the future in communities that have been seen as the archetypal birthplace of the American dream. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for the American dream

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