pipe dream
(idiomatic, originally, US) A desire or idea which is unlikely to materialize, or a plan which is unlikely to work; a near impossibility.
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The salt would destroy interiors too so heavy filters would be necessary. I doubt it ever opens. No power, no water. It's a pipe dream like the Chinese high rise apartments no one lives in
I want water etc renationalised as much as the next guy, but it’s a bit of a pipe dream unfortunately. Will need a lot of political will, money, and a lot of time to make it happen. Not impossible, but not simple or…
Or a pipe dream. I always wonder how successful the filings are by solo inventors.
When SCOTUS is loaded with Christian Nationalists tearing up the Constitution to put Project 2025 in place and Senate/Congress won't strap a pair on and stand up to Trump, then Checks and Balances are just a pipe dream.
One day my hope is to build out a front private courtyard and turn my big front window and back door into those accordion style floor to ceiling window doors; but that’s just pipe dream :)
Definitions
(idiomatic, originally, US) 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.
“The salt would destroy interiors too so heavy filters would be necessary. I doubt it ever opens. No power, no water. It's a pipe dream like the Chinese high rise apartments no one lives in”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I want water etc renationalised as much as the next guy, but it’s a bit of a pipe dream unfortunately. Will need a lot of political will, money, and a lot of time to make it happen. Not impossible, but not simple or easy”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Or a pipe dream. I always wonder how successful the filings are by solo inventors.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“When SCOTUS is loaded with Christian Nationalists tearing up the Constitution to put Project 2025 in place and Senate/Congress won't strap a pair on and stand up to Trump, then Checks and Balances are just a pipe dream.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“One day my hope is to build out a front private courtyard and turn my big front window and back door into those accordion style floor to ceiling window doors; but that’s just pipe dream :)”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Semantically related
- pipe61%
(slang) A telephone.
- project61%
(dated) An idle scheme; an impracticable design.
- put someone's pipe out59%
A British slang expression meaning to ruin or derail someone's plans, hopes, or ambitions. Rooted in the image of extinguishing someone's pipe — cutting off their enjoyment or comfort. While largely archaic today, the phrase still surfaces occasionally in British writing and older drama to convey deliberate sabotage or the spoiling of another person's schemes.
- lay the pipe58%
Vulgar slang, primarily American, for having penetrative sex — using the plumbing metaphor so transparently it barely qualifies as euphemism. Lay the pipe is crude, casual, and mostly used in informal male conversation or hip-hop lyrics. The metaphor is purely mechanical and doesn't carry romantic connotations. It's explicit enough that context determines whether it lands as edgy humor or just crass.
- lay pipe57%
(slang, of a man) To have sex.