Meaning & use
living the dream
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomapproving
Enjoying a life or situation that matches what you always wanted, and being happy about it.
Grammar: Usually follows a form of be: I am living the dream.
Patterns
- be living the dream
She quit her office job to open a bakery and says she is living the dream.
He travels the world for work, so he is truly living the dream.
They moved to a cottage by the sea and are living the dream.
phraseidiomhumorous
Said sarcastically about a situation that is dull, tiring or far from ideal.
Grammar: Tone is the clue: it is meant as a joke, not praise.
Patterns
- just living the dream
I am cleaning the garage on a Saturday night, just living the dream.
Stuck in traffic again, living the dream.
Three exams in two days and no sleep. Living the dream.
Common combinations
- just living the dream
- How's the new job? Just living the dream.
- really living the dream
- He is really living the dream, playing guitar for a living.
- living the dream, eh
- Living the dream, eh? she said as she looked at the pile of dishes.
- living the dream life
- They are living the dream life on a small island.
- still living the dream
- Are you still living the dream out west?
Synonyms and how they differ
- on top of the world
- On top of the world describes feeling very happy at the moment, while living the dream is about your overall way of life.
- in clover
- In clover means living comfortably, usually with plenty of money, while living the dream is about fulfilling a wish.
- fulfilling a dream
- Fulfilling a dream is a neutral phrase for achieving a goal, while living the dream is an informal and often ironic expression.
- having the time of your life
- This stresses fun in a particular period, while living the dream suggests a longer-lasting life choice.
Word family
Commonly confused: living the dream or dream come true?
living the dream vs dream come true
A dream come true is something good that really happens, while living the dream is the state of enjoying such a life, often joked about.
Practice
A friend stuck in a long queue at the post office says, "Living the dream!" What does the friend mean?
Choose one answer.
Here the phrase is sarcastic, showing the situation is boring. The sincere reading would only fit if the speaker were actually enjoying something they had always wanted.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “living the dream”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.