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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Recent Examples of pipe dream
According to McBride, Cooper’s casting as the brood’s OG ecclesiastic began as a pipe dream.
—
Michael Ausiello, TVLine, 9 Mar. 2025
Moore’s win at the 2025 Globes seemed to cinch the narrative: A Best Actress Oscar had gradually gone from pipe dream to the most likely outcome.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Believers view deep geothermal as a climate savior; skeptics view it as a technically infeasible pipe dream.
—Brent Crane, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2025
The most ambitious versions of such an effort are for now a pipe dream.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Michael Ausiello, TVLine, 9 Mar. 2025
Moore’s win at the 2025 Globes seemed to cinch the narrative: A Best Actress Oscar had gradually gone from pipe dream to the most likely outcome.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
Believers view deep geothermal as a climate savior; skeptics view it as a technically infeasible pipe dream.
—Brent Crane, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2025
The most ambitious versions of such an effort are for now a pipe dream.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pipe dream
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pipe dream
Noun
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Getting a glimpse into Garten’s life story is fascinating, and her cheerful demeanor and can-do attitude will galvanize you to chase your dreams.—
Meg Zukin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2025
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Still shopping around for the house of your dreams?—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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On far too many occasions, Watson chose deceit over candor, grasping for the illusion of business success and personal acclaim at any cost.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
28 Mar. 2025
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Yet there are filmmakers who fall prey to the illusion too.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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An oppressively frequent voiceover tips us off to the roiling thoughts within, which swing between daydreams of an earlier cunnilingus-loving boyfriend and pleas toward Steve to touch her again.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2025
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Where Babygirl explores the power dynamics and kink potential of an age difference, and The Idea of You leans on the age gap as a kind of escapist daydream, Bridget Jones offers an Everywoman’s version.—
Allison P. Davis,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Instead of obsessively trying to recreate the original, Lowery takes the bones of the first film — a classic boy and his dragon tale — and crafts something fresh, a charming environmentalist fantasy that’s both gentle and heartfelt.—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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In 1958, a provincial party chairman weighed in on the term fantasy in a roundtable essay that was published in Sae sedae.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Others are built but end up looking very different to the original vision.—
Tom Burrows,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
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Detective Lee Yeon-hui (played by Shin Hyun-been of Hospital Playlist and Reborn Rich) is assigned to the case and also chases after the suspect, all the while being tormented by visions of her dead sister.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pipe dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pipe%20dream. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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