daydream
Americannoun
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daydreams
plural
verb (used without object)
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daydreams,
present (3rd person singular)
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daydreamed,
past participle, past
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daydreaming
present participle
noun
-
a pleasant dreamlike fantasy indulged in while awake; idle reverie
-
a pleasant scheme or wish that is unlikely to be fulfilled; pipe dream
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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daydreamsimple
-
daydreamssimple
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have daydreamedperfect
-
has daydreamedperfect
-
am daydreamingprogressive
-
are daydreamingprogressive
-
is daydreamingprogressive
-
have been daydreamingperfect progressive
-
has been daydreamingperfect progressive
Past
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daydreamedsimple
-
had daydreamedperfect
-
was daydreamingprogressive
-
were daydreamingprogressive
-
had been daydreamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of daydream
Explanation
A daydream is a fantasy you have while you're awake. Daydreams are pleasant, and they can be so absorbing that they distract you from what's going on around you. You might have a daydream about moving to a big city, or about how you'd spend your millions if you won the lottery. To do this — dream, muse, or fantasize — is also to daydream. Your math teacher might scold you, saying, "You can't daydream in the middle of the calculus final!" The word dates from the 17th century.
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.
See Examples For:
Ravens optimists can daydream about a miracle recovery from thumb surgery, or a graying Flacco lurching around the pocket like a rusty Ford F-100, but hope is draining away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Opening your own book shop might be a lofty daydream for some bookworms looking to escape their 9-5, but more and more people are making it a reality.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
I daydream about the kishka dog in “Eat Jewish,” mourn Einstein Bros.’ discontinued bagel dog and would, without much arm-twisting, once again pay $28 for pigs in a blanket at the Ralph Lauren Club.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
My Venus is in Pisces, and I feel like all I can do is daydream about the unrequited love I have and the objects of my desire who will never know I even exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Hers was no daydream lying, when the thing imagined is told and, to make it seem more real, told as real.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
And, occasionally, she wanders into daydreams that Hayakawa presents so matter-of-factly that viewers may sometimes be unsure if what they’re seeing is actually happening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
She urges the medical profession to study music’s ability to “kickstart new patterns of thought” through daydreams as an alternative to drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
"The office cubicle has trapped me again," he says as he daydreams of a holiday on the continent.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
As long as J.D.’s daydreams and goofy bromance with Turk remain, I’m all in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2026
Ralph leaned against a tree and at once the daydreams came swarming up.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
If you’ve ever daydreamed about owning an item from Carrie Bradshaw’s closet or the writing desk where she penned her famous memoir, this L.A. event may be your golden ticket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Commander Murphy likened Khalife to the self-aggrandising fictional character Walter Mitty, who daydreamed about extraordinary personal triumphs.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2024
For years, April had daydreamed about seeing Hunter again, imagining that he would still be the little boy she remembered.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2024
Vincent‘s purchase came after years of perusing yard sales and thrift stores with her mother. She loves PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” and has daydreamed many times of this kind of lottery ticket-level transaction.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
He daydreamed at school, imagining quiet places in the woods or how cookies were made or how trees grew.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
You are standing in line alongside everyone else, daydreaming about whatever, when, out of the corner of your eye, you see a few men sprinting down the street in the opposite direction.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
When we’re daydreaming and ruminating and self-reflecting and mentally time-traveling or imagining other people’s thoughts, we’re not present.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Sophie compared it to daydreaming, but is completely unaware of what she does in those moments and they leave her feeling drained and exhausted.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
It won’t surprise you that nowadays our daydreaming time is shrinking, one more thing squashed by social media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Her mother had hinted again, only that morning, that Aurelia was indulging in too much idleness and daydreaming.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
