pipe dream

noun

Definition of pipe dreamnext
as in dream
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality opening our own restaurant has long been a pipe dream

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pipe dream How could this kid from the cornfields of Illinois say no to that kind of pipe dream? — Robert Greenblatt, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 Even a few short years ago, the possibility of another Alabama Shakes album sounded like a pipe dream. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026 When a double sink is nothing short of a pipe dream, the best small bathroom vanities are the only solution to simulating en suite vibes in your powder room. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 13 Aug. 2026 Arendt then cited Wilhelm Marr’s Sieg des Judentums über das Germanentum (The Victory of Judaism over Teutonism, 1869), thus lining up all the antisemitic pipe dreams that came close to fulfillment. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pipe dream
  1. dream
  2. illusion
  3. daydream
  4. fantasy
  5. vision
Noun
  • Friends, relatives, and loyal customers kept their dream alive as the business grew.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • She's worked for the air ambulance service for seven years and still calls it a dream job.
    — Elaine Appleton-Grant, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of dream
Noun
  • The war has exacted a toll on their economies and shattered illusions about their security.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
  • And that created this brand, maybe an illusion for him, of radical transparency.
    — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of illusion
Noun
  • This helps warm up the imagination; daydreams, nightmares are easy ways in.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of daydream
Noun
  • The series pairs its lavish costumes and sets with visual effects to build its fantasy world, including Queen, a mysterious bird with whom Navier forms a bond.
    — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Cowboys are getting diced by QB2s, quarterbacks who played in college at Kansas, and gashed by running backs that don’t even get picked in fantasy leagues that last 20 rounds.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of fantasy
Noun
  • The system builds on an earlier robot memory framework called DAAAM, which uses a vision-language model (VLM) to generate detailed descriptions of objects captured by a robot’s onboard cameras.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Now, with America having vociferously rejected Musk’s vision of governance, those wishing to drive something that reminds everyone around them of that vision will only have a few months more to purchase one.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of vision

Browse Nearby Words

pipe down
pipe dream
pipe dreams
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dream. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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