American Dream

or A·mer·i·can dream

[ uh-mer-i-kuhn dreem ]

noun

1. a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the United States:

   I want to find a decent job, buy a house, have a family, and live the American dream.

2. the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American:

   The American Dream even allows us to criticize America, as part of our freedom of speech.

American Dream

noun

1. the American Dream
   the notion that the American social, economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual

American Dream

1. A phrase connoting hope for prosperity and happiness, symbolized particularly by having a house of one's own. Possibly applied at first to the hopes of immigrants, the phrase now applies to all except the very rich and suggests a confident hope that one's children's economic and social condition will be better than one's own.

Word History and Origins

Origin of American Dream¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The money that drugs generate is their way to achieve the American Dream in a sort of twisted Scarface-type of fashion.

From The Daily Beast

To belabor the comparison a bit, the same could be said for the American Dream.

From The Daily Beast

Read a cautionary tale about the seductive and dangerous power of a charlatan sociopath, featuring goats and the American Dream.

From The Daily Beast

But over the years this definition of the American Dream has been lost.

From The Daily Beast

Let us all strive to ensure that all of our children are given the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

From The Daily Beast

To make the American Dream achievable for all, we must make college affordable for all.

From Project Gutenberg