The term “the American dream” is so imbedded into the American psyche that the Merriam-Webster dictionary deems it to be a “noun phrase.” The definition is: “A happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. However, the definition of 'rich' is changing for many. A different measure of wealth: The American dream Nerd Wallet’s net worth calculator can help you determine your net worth.