pipe dream

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When Koy was moving up the comedy ranks under his real name Joseph Glenn Herbert, the thought of calling himself a comedian felt like a pipe dream.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Purity is a pipe dream, though, because the politics of quitting booze are, like drinkers themselves, messy.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2026

But for much of America’s 250-year history, eight-hour work days and five-day workweeks were a pipe dream.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Fergus, a Mercury Music Prize nominee in 2022, told BBC Scotland being involved in film music had previously felt like it was a pipe dream.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2025

That old image of myself as a hero, as a man of conscience and courage, all that was just a threadbare pipe dream.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien