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Synonyms
Examples of pipe dream in a Sentence
His plan for starting his own business was just a pipe dream.
opening our own restaurant has long been a pipe dream
Recent Examples on the Web
That leaves the party with only two pick-up options—Florida and Texas, and the latter is at the moment only marginally less of a pipe dream.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 May 2024
And speaking about a United States of America can be a pipe dream at times.
—NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
The camaraderie was enough to push aside pipe dreams of actually winning a prize, until one member asked Jones vice principal Sharon Reynolds to check the results of a weekend drawing in late January.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024
To be able to afford the fees is a pipe dream for most families in Gaza, living in poverty, and a small fortune even for well-to-do Palestinians who have fled their homes and struggle to obtain basic necessities during the war.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 2 Mar. 2024
What Mike really wants is to make it as a rock musician — a pipe dream shared with Eli, his best friend.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
In that context, repealing excise taxes — or any taxes, for that matter — was simply a pipe dream.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
That’s still a pipe dream, but Orban has a longer runway to enact his plans than the bulk of his European counterparts.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
The race is on to see who can make the hyperloop train a reality
Despite the challenges and risks, the hyperloop train is not a pipe dream.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pipe dream.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
from the fantasies brought about by the smoking of opium
First Known Use
1890, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to pipe dream
Dictionary Entries Near pipe dream
Cite this Entry
“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pipe%20dream. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
pipe dream
noun
: an unreal and fantastic idea, wish, or story
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