pipe dream
noun
: an illusory or fantastic plan, hope, or story
Synonyms
- chimera
- conceit
- daydream
- delusion
- dream
- fancy
- fantasy
- phantasy
- figment
- hallucination
- illusion
- nonentity
- phantasm
- fantasm
- unreality
- vision
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 What once seemed like a pipe dream for borrowers is now a reality. 
Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2022 That number may seem like a pipe dream to many, especially given that one-quarter of Americans have no retirement savings at all. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 July 2022 Hiring an actual big name such as Ron Darling is probably a pipe dream. Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2022 Demand for cannabis might prove surprisingly healthy even as the economy weakens, but the ability to raise prices as much as tobacco or alcohol firms do is a pipe dream for now. Carol Ryan, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 Trackpads were still a pipe dream, and rollerballs were far from standard issue. PCMAG, 27 July 2022 Galadanci estimates only 8% of U.S. drivers actually have access to ADAS, park-assist or lane awareness technology in their cars or trucks and widely available and affordable self-driving vehicles for the general population are a pipe dream. Ed Garsten, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Just a few months ago, reaching the glitzy checkpoint was a pipe dream. Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 While full self-driving in all conditions is still a pipe dream, engineers seem to be close to achieving it in limited circumstances, such as on highways on clear days. Christopher Mims, WSJ, 18 June 2022 See More
Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2022 That number may seem like a pipe dream to many, especially given that one-quarter of Americans have no retirement savings at all. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 July 2022 Hiring an actual big name such as Ron Darling is probably a pipe dream. Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2022 Demand for cannabis might prove surprisingly healthy even as the economy weakens, but the ability to raise prices as much as tobacco or alcohol firms do is a pipe dream for now. Carol Ryan, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 Trackpads were still a pipe dream, and rollerballs were far from standard issue. PCMAG, 27 July 2022 Galadanci estimates only 8% of U.S. drivers actually have access to ADAS, park-assist or lane awareness technology in their cars or trucks and widely available and affordable self-driving vehicles for the general population are a pipe dream. Ed Garsten, Forbes, 12 July 2022 Just a few months ago, reaching the glitzy checkpoint was a pipe dream. Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 While full self-driving in all conditions is still a pipe dream, engineers seem to be close to achieving it in limited circumstances, such as on highways on clear days. Christopher Mims, WSJ, 18 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
from the fantasies brought about by the smoking of opium
First Known Use
1890, in the meaning defined above
pipe dream
noun
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
Relevance
- dream
- illusion
- daydream
- fantasy
- vision
- fantasm
- delusion
- castle in the air
- imaging
- idea
- nightmare
- castle in Spain
- chimera
- unreality
- hallucination
- mirage
- phantasm
- figment
- fancy
- conceit
- ignis fatuus
- phantasy
- fiction
- nonentity
- visualization
- will-o'-the-wisp
- concoction
- fabrication
- utopia
- brainchild
- fable
- envisaging
- cloudland
- invention
- cloud-cuckoo-land
- Shangri-la
- daymare
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fact
- reality
- actuality