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
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Recent Examples of pipe dream
Country is still very much ideologically entangled with MAGA and its pipe dream of a return to the 1950s.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Unbeknownst to Jennifer, however, Birdie’s Kitchen was just a pipe dream.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
During his time at Colgate, the team earned two NCAA tournament trips via back-to-back Patriot League titles, but the Final Four seemed like a pipe dream to someone at a low major.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
But their coffee shop, once a pipe dream, will soon become a reality.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Unbeknownst to Jennifer, however, Birdie’s Kitchen was just a pipe dream.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
During his time at Colgate, the team earned two NCAA tournament trips via back-to-back Patriot League titles, but the Final Four seemed like a pipe dream to someone at a low major.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
But their coffee shop, once a pipe dream, will soon become a reality.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pipe dream
Noun
-
Then there are those fighting and clawing to extend their NFL dream, such as Mason Reiger, who signed as a rookie free agent because his draft stock tanked because of medical evaluation.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
-
What was once street play and schoolyard competition now carries the weight of a national dream.—
Ricci Shryock,
NPR,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Masks are slipping and illusions are fading.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
The United States, searching for self-definition but loath to lose its illusions—its innocence—needed all of this as a counterpoint.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Some stories plant deep in your creative brain and come out through songs heard on the radio and random daydreams in the shower.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
Just think of all those vacant Madonnas, structurally perfect compositions, and obedient daydreams of antiquity.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Similar to 2023-2024, realistic/contemporary and dystopia/sci-fi/fantasy remain the dominant genres banned in the 2024-2025 school year.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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My exterior gender and interior one were out of alignment, and every attempt to sync them—with corresponding clothes, a rich fantasy life, and standing up over the toilet bowl to pee, messily—ultimately failed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Both have stood out for having a long-term strategic vision for football rather than big spending.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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Some Democrats revive the promise of single-payer healthcare Some of the sharpest exchanges occurred over single-payer healthcare, a policy vision that Newsom embraced on the campaign trail and abandoned in office when faced with the daunting price tag and political hurdles.—
Ben Paviour
May 6,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dream. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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