pipe dream

¹

noun

1. any fantastic notion, hope, or story:

   Her plans for a movie career are just a pipe dream.

pipe-dream

²

[ pahyp-dreem ]

verb (used without object)

, pipe-dreamed or pipe-dreamt, pipe-dream·ing.

1. to indulge in pipe dreams; fantasize.

pipe dream

noun

1. a fanciful or impossible plan or hope

Word History and Origins

Origin of pipe dream¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Word History and Origins

Origin of pipe dream¹

alluding to dreams produced by smoking an opium pipe

Idioms and Phrases

A fantastic notion or vain hope, as in I'd love to have one home in the mountains and another at the seashore, but that's just a pipe dream . Alluding to the fantasies induced by smoking an opium pipe, this term has been used more loosely since the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

It was a pipe dream, I think, their relationship.

From Los Angeles Times

The shared experience of more than 17 million viewers settling in to watch one of its premieres, as they did for “High School Musical 2” in 2007, is a pipe dream today.

From Los Angeles Times

A comparison of Michigan and California shows how one state can have a booming cannabis economy while another’s still feels like a pipe dream.

From Los Angeles Times

I’ve always had a book in my hand and I’ve always had this pipe dream of writing a book in the back of my head.

From Los Angeles Times

That would get the job done, theoretically, but getting it passed is a pipe dream.

From Salon

Related Words

• daydream
• wishful thinking