American Dream

or A·mer·i·can dream

[ uh-mer-i-kuhn dreem ]

noun

a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the United States: I want to find a decent job, buy a house, have a family, and live the American dream.
the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American: The American Dream even allows us to criticize America, as part of our freedom of speech.

Origin of American Dream

First recorded in 1930–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use American Dream in a sentence

The money that drugs generate is their way to achieve the American Dream in a sort of twisted Scarface-type of fashion.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs | Seth Ferranti | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
To belabor the comparison a bit, the same could be said for the American Dream.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality | Noah Caldwell | September 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Read a cautionary tale about the seductive and dangerous power of a charlatan sociopath, featuring goats and the American Dream.
The Strange, True Tale of the Old-Timey Goat Testicle-Implanting 'Governor' | Penny Lane | September 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But over the years this definition of the American Dream has been lost.
The American Dream Is Dead, and Good Riddance | Keli Goff | July 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Let us all strive to ensure that all of our children are given the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
Racial Support to Keep a Ban on Race in Place | Ron Christie | March 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

To make the American Dream achievable for all, we must make college affordable for all.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for American Dream

American Dream

noun

the American Dream the notion that the American social, economic, and political system makes success possible for every individual

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for American Dream

American Dream

A phrase connoting hope for prosperity and happiness, symbolized particularly by having a house of one's own. Possibly applied at first to the hopes of immigrants, the phrase now applies to all except the very rich and suggests a confident hope that one's children's economic and social condition will be better than one's own.

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