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
The stalker pipe dreams need to stop here.
—
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Friends called it a pipe dream.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025
Expecting it to be now seems like a pipe dream.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Dozens of companies are now competing to make the world’s first viable humanoid robot, convinced that recent advances in AI have made what was once a pipe dream into achievable reality.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Friends called it a pipe dream.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2025
Expecting it to be now seems like a pipe dream.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Dozens of companies are now competing to make the world’s first viable humanoid robot, convinced that recent advances in AI have made what was once a pipe dream into achievable reality.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pipe dream
Noun
-
But as his son’s college dreams were coming into focus, Dominique thought about his own path and upbringing.—
Mirin Fader,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Most cops have hero dreams, protector fantasies that sustain them through days that are mostly mundane.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Suburbia offered the illusion of moral purity, deepening social segregation as highways allowed a quick access to and from the city centre.—
Fahad Zuberi,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
All one had to do would be to rethink what removals are for (or shake off any post-substitutionist illusions about it).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But Ma has been deftly drawn as a canny realist and problem solver—not the kind of person to indulge in daydreams.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
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But for business and organizational leaders, this theme doesn’t need to be the stuff of daydreams.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While a student-athlete at Arizona State, the NCAA says Freeman provided information to an associate and to his then-girlfriend on multiple occasions for the purposes of betting on Freeman through daily fantasy sports accounts.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Nestled on 30 private acres in the South Fork of Provo Canyon, the secluded property threads streams and waterfalls beneath stone bridges, across gentle knolls, and under low-hanging eaves, all hinting at a hobbit-house inspiration without ever tipping into twee fantasy.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Spirited, political, and deeply kind individuals, the Christos were passionately devoted to their artistic vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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Ralph has continued to grace the stage as a vision of strength and style.—
Donnetta Monk,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dream. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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