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
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terror or apprehension as to something in the future; great fear.
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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
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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
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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:
But since the rings select their bearers by asking whether they’re afraid during an ambush designed to create dread, the test favors those for whom life never presents anything to fear.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
"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
Part of that attention is aimed at Burwell’s score, a masterpiece of electronic minimalism in which pitch bends and hard clashes create the dread and whiplash that make the film so tense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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
Our robot felt something like dread as she waited for a sleek white ship to appear.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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
Ferrara admits she could also just drive to the Nevada city, but she dreads the prospect of a four-hour-plus ride.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 8, 2025
While Roman stumbles through life without Rocky, Dennis dreads the realization that his lies may undo everything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025
Police officers are arguing with the protesters and a tall man with dreads has his hands handcuffed behind him.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
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
The five words every baseball soul outside of Los Angeles dreaded hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
But I live in fear of the moment when the conversation takes that dreaded turn toward the last redoubt of small talk: What do you do?
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
These sessions, along with daily Dharma talks, both of which I’d dreaded, turned out to be the retreat’s highlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Sleep was out of the question now, and I dreaded daylight.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
And so I was dreading having to editorialize about this, but fortunately a pollster did it for me.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Many of my Chicago neighbors wake each morning dreading what they’ll read in the newspaper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
All of these factors contribute towards a situation which has now left many dreading the idea of going to A&E.
From BBC ● Mar. 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
Everyone here is dreading the great terror known as winter.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
