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 Professional Women’s Hockey League was but a pipe dream in February 2022 when Kendall Coyne Schofield emphatically declared the urgency needed to address a fractured sport with unrealized potential.
—
John Wawrow, Twin Cities, 4 Feb. 2026
Launched at the Expo 2025 Osaka last year, what seemed like a pipe dream destined for a 2050 debut, is now expected to have a prototype ready decades ahead of schedule—with the first edition to launch in just four years.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Realistically, that’s a pipe dream.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 8 Jan. 2026
Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the franchise under Jones, would seemingly be an ideal candidate for Jones to eschew some or all of his GM duties off on, but there’s little evidence that’s ever been more than a pipe dream for Cowboys fans.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
John Wawrow, Twin Cities, 4 Feb. 2026
Launched at the Expo 2025 Osaka last year, what seemed like a pipe dream destined for a 2050 debut, is now expected to have a prototype ready decades ahead of schedule—with the first edition to launch in just four years.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Realistically, that’s a pipe dream.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 8 Jan. 2026
Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the franchise under Jones, would seemingly be an ideal candidate for Jones to eschew some or all of his GM duties off on, but there’s little evidence that’s ever been more than a pipe dream for Cowboys fans.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pipe dream
Noun
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This will by no means fit into any version of a food pyramid, but my dream dinner involves a bucket of cheese popcorn and a glass of crisp white wine.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Strong foundations can carry big dreams without unnecessary strain.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Oprah loves her designer sweatpant jeans (hello, Rag & Bone), and these Dlooda wide-leg versions deliver the same polished illusion without the splurge.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Mar. 2026
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Miuccia Prada, herself a billionaire, has no illusions that the runway is a space for political grandstanding.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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More than masturbatory daydreams, Vladimir inspires our heroine to write with abandon, ignoring professional and personal obligations in service to her muse.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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Below, some of the finest, high-quality ruffled bedding around the web for creating the frothy bedscape of your daydreams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The peach-plum gradient gown is the creation of Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, whose high-fantasy sculptural gowns emphasize movement and eye-tricking form, often to gravity-defying effect.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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More than just a mere tale of medieval heroism, this is a surreal, gorgeous piece of work that challenges preconceptions of fantasy dramas and feels vitally fresh.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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While both candidates held progressive policy positions on issues like healthcare, the difference between them centered on communication style, with Talarico’s softer rhetorical approach resonating with voters through appeals to unity and a vision of hope[1].—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Talarico is a vision of a Democratic future reminiscent of high points from the Party’s recent past—rhetorical precision, hopes, dreams.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dream. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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