What does "pipe-dream" mean?

To have a desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or to imagine a plan which is unlikely to work; to dream of a near impossibility.

What is a synonym for "pipe-dream"?

Common synonyms include: daydream, divagate, dream, fantasy, freak out, moon.

//ˈpaɪpdriːm// verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Verb

1
To have a desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or to imagine a plan which is unlikely to work; to dream of a near impossibility. intransitive
"Love is life sublime, / Ev'ry moment that I'm / Only wasting my time / Pipe dreaming of you, / Pipe dreaming of you, […]"

"Love is life sublime, / Ev'ry moment that I'm / Only wasting my time / Pipe dreaming of you, / Pipe dreaming of you, […]"

From pipe dream (noun).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.