- 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 we’re dreading the coming costs to move our cars and some furnishings to the West Coast.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
In fact, I found myself humming along the interstate at 80 mph, anticipating, even dreading the moment the gas engine refired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 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 had been dreading Ob’s death for so long that in my mind I practically had the coffin picked out and which tie he’d wear.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
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.
