dread
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dreads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dreaded,
past participle, past
-
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
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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
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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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
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're lucky. For the moment we haven't found any dead animal. It's what we dread, because it's very hot," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
There’s no wonder or dread in this future — just the resigned acceptance that nothing is remarkable, despite all the nifty gadgets everyone has.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
It’s really no wonder that Neill would go on to play characters who echoed Mark’s descent into madness, splitting off into equally extraordinary works of spine-tingling creature feature dread.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
A woman who used to "dread bedtime" says being one of the first UK patients to be offered a new treatment has been life-changing for her sleeping condition.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
I feel it like a splash of cold water, that old sense of doom and dread, the fear that made me desperate enough to snatch baby Virginia away.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
To anyone who dreads flying because of ticket prices, security checks, bag fees and leg cramps, director Rory Kennedy offers several more reasons to take the train.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
But he still dreads the possibility the product of his 25-hectare vineyard in the village of Correns could be declared undrinkable, and that he'd be unable to sell some 90,000 bottles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 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
It's the call any player dreads - because even in today's club-centric landscape, representing your country at a World Cup remains the pinnacle.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
A conscious woman, in stonewash with her dreads pulled back, is giving him the side-eye and laughing.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
"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
People are leaning on AI for a task more dreaded than homework: navigating social situations with their fellow humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Anything that drifts too close to the dreaded category of “dump and stir,” a phrase that has done real reputational harm to a perfectly sensible technique?
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
But he does sugarcoat his technological limitations as a 67-year-old comic in the dreaded age of video calls with a punchy Chicano twist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
I dreaded to imagine what she wanted to tell me.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Not everyone is dreading the nightmare of windy conditions drying out the greens this weekend, though.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
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
Elizabeth packed the red collar and seemed satisfied—too easily, he suspected, dreading her disillusionment.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
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.
