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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Forever is not just a pipe dream for the high school senior after winning the Jimmy Award. — Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 When brand new entry-level telescopes start at a few hundred dollars, the idea of getting anything decent for pocket change sounds like a pipe dream. — Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Before 1999, the thought of all your favorite video game characters beating the tar out of each other on the same video game console felt like a pipe dream. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 That number was still a pipe dream weeks later when, as the story goes, Mary Kay borrowed twelve dollars to hightail it to Dallas for a Stanley sales rally. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 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
  • There had been little doubt Cristobal left a great situation at Oregon, but his dream job, the top rung for him, was always in Coral Gables.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
  • But Jack and Chris, finally, must have been a dream come true.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of dream
Noun
  • Published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, 95 people—Millennial and Gen Z men and women, all of whom had a history of using Instagram for an average of eight years—underwent a virtual reality experience called body illusions.
    — Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The irony, of course, is that this very haphazardness is orchestrated by Dante, who is putting all the references together with intention — the intention of creating the illusion of no intention, of chaos.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 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
  • Even longtime Santa Fe residents (my family has lived in the city for more than 30 years) describe the hotel as transportive, less like checking into a resort and more like entering a private fantasy world.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Lions are projected to have a far better offense, and Gibbs has averaged easily the most fantasy points in NFL history during games without David Montgomery.
    — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of fantasy
Noun
  • Hämeenaho has the shot, vision and hands to project to score in the NHL.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Bansal, who refused to comment when contacted, has outlined his vision for Lenskart in the company’s latest quarterly presentation.
    — Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of vision

Browse Nearby Words

pipe down
pipe dream
pipe dreams
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Cite this Entry

“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dream. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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