flight of fancy

Idioms  

1. An unrealistic idea or fantastic notion, a pipe dream. For example, She engaged in flights of fancy, such as owning a million-dollar house. This idiom uses flight in the sense of “a soaring of the imagination,” a usage dating from the mid-1600s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flight of fancy

But as of now, that remains only a flight of fancy for Kirby.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026

After reaching for the stars in his first show for Chanel, new chief designer Matthieu Blazy took a feathery flight of fancy for his debut Haute Couture collection inspired by birds and nature on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026

So that was just a flight of fancy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2023

But it’s easy to forgive Zink this flight of fancy in a book that’s so fun to read.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2022

Wasn’t writing a kind of soaring, an achievable form of flight, of fancy, of the imagination?

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan