as in pipe dream
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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
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for will-o'-the-wisp
Noun
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What was once thought of as a pipe dream for hockey fans in South Florida is about to finally become reality.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
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Some visitors push farther still, boarding seaplanes to Dry Tortugas National Park, where Fort Jefferson rises from impossibly blue water like a mirage.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
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The 74-year-old — the oldest head coach in NFL history — started his Raiders tenure strong with a season-opening win over the Patriots, but that proved to be a mirage as Las Vegas won just two more games the rest of the way to finish tied for the worst record in the league.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Unveiling ignis fatuus: Microlightning between microbubbles.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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Bob Weir, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, whose songs about sunshine daydreams and truckin’ helped turn the jam band into a 60-year musical empire, has died at age 78.—
Richard Gehr,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2026
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Season 5, after all, is framed by Mike and Eleven’s daydream of a conversation in the first episode.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Will-o'-the-wisp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/will-o%27-the-wisp. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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