as in dreams
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 dreams
Music promoters, both craving the one-upmanship and genuine satisfaction of getting a lucrative band back on a stage, have more money at their disposal than ever before to make their pipe dreams a reality.
—
Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
The stalker pipe dreams need to stop here.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
The idea that renewables alone can power the American economy is nonsense given the current technology, green pipe dreams notwithstanding.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
The stalker pipe dreams need to stop here.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
The idea that renewables alone can power the American economy is nonsense given the current technology, green pipe dreams notwithstanding.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pipe dreams
Noun
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Sadly, his college ball dreams didn’t come to fruition after the coach who called him up retired.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
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But your kid with pro athlete dreams is likely not part of the 70%.—
Jonathan Carone,
Parents,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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House and Senate lawmakers’ conflicting visions for providing systemic property tax relief fell apart in 2025 as each chamber shot down the other’s constitutional amendment proposal.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
11 Jan. 2026
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Who knows what visions may lie ahead?—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Inside a mesmerising hall of mirrors inspired by Houdini's illusions, massages with seasonal Hungarian essential oils and rejuvenating mud wraps release any and all tension.—
Cassie Doney,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Jan. 2026
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Her sister, Kali, has the power to create illusions, so the Eleven that everyone witnessed in her final moments could have been fake, and the real Eleven could have slipped away without being detected.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And, once again, fantasies of surgical strikes are yielding to messy realities.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
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Ride a Luge Live out your Milan 2026 fantasies at Michigan's Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Alas, my daydreams about adapting an essay from my collection into a limited series TV show turned out to be just that.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
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What about those perfect days and the daydreams that had sustained us?—
Michael Paterniti,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pipe dreams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dreams. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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