Dictionary

pipe dream en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ˈpaɪp driːm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈpaɪp ˌdrim/ (General-American)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) 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.
   • Only a year ago it would have needed a "super-Micawber" to be optimistic that the railways would once again pay their way. But it was no longer a pipe dream that B.R. could make a profit, the way to do it was now clear. 1962 December, “Dr. Beeching Previews the Plan for British Railways”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 376:

Forms

Coordinates

figment of one's imagination

Deriveds

pipe dreaming · pipe-dreamer · pipe-dream · pipedreamed

Synonyms

castle in the air · pie in the sky

Translations (47)

ja 夢物語 (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · af lugkasteel (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · cmn 妄想 (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · no luftslott (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · pl mrzonka (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · cy breuddwyd gwrach (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · es sueño guajiro (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · bg празна надежда (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · de Luftschloss (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · tr boş hayal (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · cs vzdušné zámky (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · pl miraż (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · no ønskedrøm (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · tr hülya (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · de Schnapsidee (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · es quimera (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · hy անիրականալի երազանք (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · cmn 春秋大夢 /春秋大梦 (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · mi waitara (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · da ønskedrøm (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · fr chimère (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · pl marzenie ściętej głowy (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · hu ábránd (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · af wensdroom (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · fi pilvilinna (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · sv luftslott (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · el ὀνειροπόληση (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · bg въздушна мечта (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · sv önskedröm (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · de Wunschtraum (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · pt quimera (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · ca entelèquia (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · hu légvár (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · hu vágyálom (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · nl luchtkasteel (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · fr rêve chimérique (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · es castillo en el aire (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · es ensueño imposible (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · el ονειροφαντασία (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · hy ցնորք (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · eo ĥimero (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · es entelequia (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · eo aerkastelo (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · ja 絵空事 (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · da luftkastel (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · nl wensdroom (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work) · ba буш хыял (desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work)