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

The lessons of 1986 show that with the right setting and right leaders, a Reykjavik moment isn’t a pipe dream.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026

That, of course, As usual, that was a pipe dream.

From Salon • Jan. 13, 2026

David Goldwyn, head of Goldwyn Global Strategies and a former Obama administration official, said it may be a pipe dream to expect oil companies to risk large sums on turning around Venezuela.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Jefferson's version of a classless American society was therefore a pipe dream, because the source of the problem was not European feudalism but human nature itself.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis