- present participle of dread.
dreading
Americanverb
Etymology
Origin of dreading
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
The couple is among thousands of immigrant parents hiding in their homes in Minneapolis, dreading that federal agents will come knocking.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
"I was always worried about if anything happened at home," said Emily, as she often woke up to missed calls from home dreading the "worst case scenario".
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025
“We were dreading this. But unfortunately, I personally thought it’s a matter of when, not if.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
“Now,” I say again, letting the word roll deliciously on my tongue because it has been so long since I’ve thought of now, since I haven’t been haunted by the past or dreading the future.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
