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.

---

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

Few of them, however, match form and content like this flight of fancy from the director Geoff Marslett, who co-wrote the screenplay with the indie-rock stalwart Howe Gelb.

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024

So that was just a flight of fancy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2023

“Nothing. Just a brief flight of fancy, my mind sailing off past the phantom tollbooth. So, which lifeline would you like to use?”

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein