Pipe dreams what does it mean

Image credits. Word of the Day have a heart of gold. Blog Outsets and onsets! Read More. November 08, To top. English American Examples Translations.

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content:. Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge. Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes. Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans. Sign up now or Log in. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Follow us. Choose a dictionary.

Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Grammar Thesaurus. Word Lists. More Definitions for pipe dream. See the full definition for pipe dream in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of pipe dream. Synonyms for pipe dream Synonyms chimera , conceit , daydream , delusion , dream , fancy , fantasy also phantasy , figment , hallucination , illusion , nonentity , phantasm also fantasm , unreality , vision Visit the Thesaurus for More.

Examples of pipe dream in a Sentence His plan for starting his own business was just a pipe dream. Recent Examples on the Web From the outset, that pipe dream seemed perpetually in danger of going down the tubes. First Known Use of pipe dream , in the meaning defined above. History and Etymology for pipe dream from the fantasies brought about by the smoking of opium.

Learn More About pipe dream. The pipe has a modern look and is altogether unlike those found by the English in use among the Indians in Virginia. She would never forget it; but realizing its gravity, she decided thereupon never to tell it—the dream—to anybody. Little did Tressan dream to what a cask of gunpowder he was applying the match of his smug pertness.

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 s.

New Word List Word List. Save This Word! We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.