# pipe dream

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pipe-dream
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work; a near impossibility.

## Examples

- Buying a private island is just a pipe dream for me.
- Retiring at thirty is a pipe dream for most workers.
- He wants to become a famous actor, but his parents think it is just a pipe dream.
- The small company hoped to beat the global tech giant, but their staff knew it was a pipe dream without more funding.
- She realized that fixing the old, rusted car in one weekend was a pipe dream because many parts were missing.
- The young inventor spent years chasing what many critics dismissed as a mere pipe dream, yet his persistence eventually led to a breakthrough.

## Origin

From pipe + dream, referring to the fantasies experienced while smoking an opium pipe. The term is first recorded in this sense in the late 19th century, drawing a connection between the inhalation of the drug and the subsequent production of improbable plans. It is formed identically to the Old English pīpdrēam, though that earlier compound denoted the music or sound of a pipe rather than a narcotic hallucination.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.