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

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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 pipe dream 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 United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain's pitch for a four-day workweek for assembly workers was brushed aside as a pipe dream. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 13 July 2026 The Information posited, while noting that since 2020, Meta’s Reality Lab division has lost $87 billion chasing metaverse pipe dreams. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026 But instant 100% tariffs look like a pipe dream given the constraints of the trade law. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 26 June 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
  • Fairview’s board thought hard before committing to such a costly venture, but had a dream, said Edie Kalin, president of the Odd Fellows Home of CT.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The trio’s minimalist approach to electronic pop music — which draws from dream pop, electro-rock and other styles — has aged impeccably over the years.
    — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dream
Noun
  • Neither side, however, is under any illusion about the nature of the enduring competition.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As the bartender quieted whatever terrible hair-metal mixtape had been playing over the house PA, and the lights glowed red on the stage, Ryan was trying to create the illusion of a behind-the-curtain, big-stage, rock star entrance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 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
  • This is the same thing, only moms are living their I-wish-when-I-was-in-college fantasies through their daughters.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Rum has always been good at fantasy, conjuring sunshine in a bad bar, smuggling a little heat in the cold, and making the most sensible drinker briefly vulnerable to the pull of a paper umbrella.
    — Lela London, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of fantasy
Noun
  • For families While Hôtel Royal’s opulence certainly doesn’t lean into the traditional vision of a family-friendly hotel, their thoughtful amenities sure do.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Skoll Foundation's vision is to live in a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 11 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 13 Aug. 2026.

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