American Dream

Or A·mer·i·can dream

[uh-mer-i-kuhn dreem]

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.

American Dream

noun

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

American Dream

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of American Dream¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

During the opening credits of the movie, you say the line “The American Dream is dead.”

From Los Angeles Times

The expo was held inside the Esports Stadium in Arlington — branded the “American Dream City” — halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth.

From Los Angeles Times

“It is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”

From Los Angeles Times

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose district contains much of San Francisco, called the decision "a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream."

From Salon

Kim defines these shows as “rags-to-riches” narratives, contests that equate a person’s capabilities and success with hard work and determination – what she describes as the American Dream, for the purpose of her research.

From Salon

When To Use

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.