pipe dream
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
pipe dream
- /ˈpaɪp driːm/ UK
- /ˈpaɪp ˌdrim/ US
Where it comes from
From pipe + dream, referring to the fantasies experienced when smoking an opium pipe. Compare Old English pīpdrēam (“the sound or music of a pipe”), which is formed identically but has a different meaning.
noun pipe dreams · pipedream
-
A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work; a near impossibility.
I think that his plan to become a professional athlete is a pipe dream and that he should stay in school.
Similar: castle in the air, pie in the sky
Translations
Every language
noun desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work
| Español | castillo en el aire, entelequia, quimera, sueño guajiro, ensueño imposible |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 夢物語 yumemonogatari, 絵空事 esoragoto |
| 中文 | 妄想 wàngxiǎng, 春秋大夢 /春秋大梦 chūnqiūdàmèng |
| Português | quimera |
| Français | chimère, rêve chimérique |
| Deutsch | Luftschloss, Schnapsidee, Wunschtraum |
| Ελληνικά | ονειροφαντασία oneirofantasía, ὀνειροπόληση oneiropólisi |
Talk about this word "pipe dream." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pipe%20dream. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pipe dream. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pipe%20dream "pipe dream." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pipe%20dream.Cite this
@misc{pipe_dream_2026,
title = {pipe dream},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pipe%20dream},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
