American Dream

American  

[uh-mer-i-kuhn dreem] / əˈmɛr ɪ kən ˈdrim /

Or American dream

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

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American Dream British  

noun

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

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American Dream Cultural  

1. 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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Usage

What is the American Dream? The American Dream is the aspirational belief in the U. S. that all individuals are entitled to the opportunity for success and upward social mobility through hard work.

Etymology

Origin of American Dream

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The only nearby, FIFA-endorsed, parking is at the adjacent property, the American Dream Mall and costs $225 per day.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

The games Finance, Inflation and others thrived during the Great Depression as a fantasy of an American Dream far out of reach for most homes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

For observers like her, it's no coincidence that Chinamaxxing comes as the American Dream seems to be dimming.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Do I still believe in the possibility of dreams and the American Dream?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2025

If this were an American Dream story, Dandy, who arrived in Chicago in the early 1930s, would have found a good job and a pathway to college.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama