# pipe dream

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpaɪp driːm/

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

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pipe-dream