dread
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dreads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dreaded,
past participle, past
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dreading
present participle
-
to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of.
to dread death.
- Antonyms:
- welcome
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to be reluctant to do, meet, or experience.
I dread going to big parties.
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Archaic. to hold in respectful awe.
verb (used without object)
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dreads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dreaded,
past participle, past
-
dreading
present participle
noun
-
dreads
plural
-
terror or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear.
-
a person or thing dreaded.
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Informal. dreads, dreadlocks.
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Informal. a person who wears dreadlocks.
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Archaic. deep awe or reverence.
verb
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to anticipate with apprehension or terror
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to fear greatly
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archaic to be in awe of
noun
-
great fear; horror
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an object of terror
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slang a Rastafarian
-
archaic deep reverence
adjective
Synonym Usage
See fear.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dreadsimple
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dreadssimple
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have dreadedperfect
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has dreadedperfect
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am dreadingprogressive
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are dreadingprogressive
-
is dreadingprogressive
-
have been dreadingperfect progressive
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has been dreadingperfect progressive
Past
-
dreadedsimple
-
had dreadedperfect
-
was dreadingprogressive
-
were dreadingprogressive
-
had been dreadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dread
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English dreden (verb), Old English drǣdan, aphetic variant of adrǣdan, ondrǣdan; cognate with Old High German intrātan “to fear”
Explanation
The noun dread describes the fear of something bad happening, like the dread you feel when walking alone on a deserted street in the dark. Dread is a feeling of fear, but it can also be the desire to avoid something. For example, many people feel dread at the very thought of speaking in front of an audience. As a verb, dread means "to fear or not want something to happen," like students who did not study and as a result, dread getting their graded tests back. As an adjective, dread means "frightening or terrifying," like a dread monster.
Vocabulary lists containing dread
The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
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Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
We dread more losses but mentally anchor a stock’s value to an old price that may have become meaningless.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
For some, networking comes naturally but for others, the thought of approaching someone they don't know and trying to make a professional connection can fill them with dread.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
"I wanted to really lean into the horror, and that slow sense of dread that the games have done so well across all of them," Cregger said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Mark, an illustrator with millions of followers, revealed a deep sense of dread about what was once his dream: to make a living creating art and sharing it online.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
They knew what it was like to lose everything overnight, and ever since the first time, they'd lived with the dread that it could happen again.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
I have a friend who works the cash register at a supermarket, and she told me that she dreads the holidays.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
His elderly parents and children remain in Russia and he dreads uprooting his family.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
I’d see an old man with his gray dreads and sing-songy voice as I would walk from parking my car on the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
In his interview, Holland also mentioned he dreads a read-through for his roles and tries his best to prepare for it.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
One boy with long dreads grins at me.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Nor is it “oh no ... AI is the new dreaded tool.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
"I suffered from body dysmorphia for years because of that, believing that no matter how strong, thin or young I was, there was no escaping the dreaded cottage cheese thighs."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
But they wake up on race day with the dreaded red signal on their watch telling them they haven’t fully recovered from a shake-out run the day before.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
But he also thinks they have skipped the dreaded Trough of Disillusionment, a phase that is part of research firm Gartner’s Tech Hype Cycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Yet as much as he dreaded her leaving, he knew it would also be a relief.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
And we’re dreading the coming costs to move our cars and some furnishings to the West Coast.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
And enough with the social-media snark about dreading the thought of Spirit passengers suddenly showing up on your favorite non-discount airline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 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 smile, because I'm relieved that she didn't ask the question I've been dreading since we got here.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
