will-o'-the-wisp

noun

Definition of will-o'-the-wispnext
as in pipe dream

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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 will-o'-the-wisp As the guitar-strumming will-o'-the-wisp Maria von Trapp, Julie Andrews taught us a few of her favorite things. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for will-o'-the-wisp
  1. pipe dream
  2. mirage
  3. ignis fatuus
  4. daydream
Noun
  • Arendt then cited Wilhelm Marr’s Sieg des Judentums über das Germanentum (The Victory of Judaism over Teutonism, 1869), thus lining up all the antisemitic pipe dreams that came close to fulfillment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 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
Definition of pipe dream
Noun
  • The superiority of the German Jews turned out to be nothing but a mirage.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • To the contrary, his defeat has a very ordinary explanation – as do most mirages.
    — Andrew E. Busch, The Conversation, 23 July 2026
Definition of mirage
Noun
  • Several sources say ignis fatuus, a spark of swamp gas, is the likely cause of the strange light.
    — Fox News, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023
  • The story also helped explain ignis fatuus, a natural phenomenon that occurs in marshlands and bogs—such as those in Ireland’s countryside—producing flickering lights as gases from decomposing organic matter combust.
    — National Geographic, National Geographic, 27 Oct. 2020
Definition of ignis fatuus
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

Browse Nearby Words

will-less
will-o'-the-wisp
will-o'-the-wisps
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“Will-o'-the-wisp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/will-o%27-the-wisp. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on will-o'-the-wisp

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about will-o'-the-wisp

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