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

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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 Soccer was a minor sport in Charlotte back then, and having an MLS team here seemed like a pipe dream. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026 The decades-long quest to build home robots that are both helpful and lifelike — spurred on by fictional machines like the Jetsons’ humanoid maid Rosie —- is still mostly a pipe dream. — Matt O’Brien, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026 The rapid normalization of working from home has reconfigured how and where talent operates, offering flexibility that was once a pipe dream. — Vikram Joshi, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 But that seems to be a bit of a pipe dream. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 15 May 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
  • Destinations that combine crystal-clear seas, warm sand tones and unspoilt scenery consistently stand out as the places people most dream about visiting.
    — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026
  • Let’s travel path two and figure out how this career part timer doesn’t have to put the rest of their life on hold while the dream career is still TBD.
    — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of dream
Noun
  • The experience works because technology supports the illusion rather than dominating it.
    — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Ukraine, though harboring no illusions about matching Russia’s long-range weaponry or the size of its fighting forces, has been ramping up domestic production of more advanced, longer-range drones and missiles.
    — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 2026
Definition of illusion
Noun
  • And amidst the momentum of reverie, there’s the line ‘Blink at the light and hope to survive,’ because daydreams in a fascist state can be scary too.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
  • One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
Definition of daydream
Noun
  • Like an author of fantasy fiction, Wolfgang Voigt is continually rewriting and restructuring the internal logic of his own world, going back to his old work in the hopes of imposing some order upon his sprawling mythopoeia.
    — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 7 July 2026
  • Pattison famously played vampire Edward in the teen fantasy saga, who competed with werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) for the affection of Bella (Kristen Stewart).
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026
Definition of fantasy
Noun
  • For Paules, the founder of Friends of Prefab, the technology is only a means to a social vision of affordable housing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • During his 24 years on the Board of Supervisors, Haggerty’s vision of a connected Bay Area laid the groundwork for some of the largest infrastructure projects under construction today.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 6 July 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 12 Jul. 2026.

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