picket fence dream

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   The ideal of a settled, conventional family life, usually imagined as a married couple with children in their own house with a yard.

   Grammar: Usually singular with the or a possessive: the picket fence dream, their picket fence dream.

   Patterns

   • chase the picket fence dream
   • live the picket fence dream

   For their parents, the picket fence dream meant a small house, two kids and a dog.

   Rising house prices have put the picket fence dream out of reach for many young couples.

   He gave up the picket fence dream and chose a life of travel instead.

Word forms

Common combinations

chase the picket fence dream

They worked two jobs each to chase the picket fence dream.

live the picket fence dream

On the surface, they seemed to be living the picket fence dream.

give up the picket fence dream

She gave up the picket fence dream after the divorce.

the classic picket fence dream

The classic picket fence dream no longer fits everyone's idea of happiness.

a far cry from the picket fence dream

Their cramped rented flat was a far cry from the picket fence dream.

Synonyms and how they differ

American Dream

It is broader and covers success and prosperity of any kind, while the picket fence dream focuses on home and family.

domestic bliss

It names the happiness of home life itself instead of the goal of reaching it.

suburban ideal

It stresses the suburban setting and sounds more like social commentary.

Word family

picket fence noun

a fence made of upright pointed boards

picket noun

a pointed stake in a fence

white picket fence noun

the common symbol of the suburban home ideal

Commonly confused: picket fence dream or picket line?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “picket fence dream”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words