dream

American  

[dreem] / drim /

noun

1. a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.

2. the sleeping state in which this occurs.

3. an object seen in a dream.

4. an involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.

5. a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake; daydream; reverie.

6. an aspiration; goal; aim.

   A trip to Europe is his dream.

7. a wild or vain fancy.

8. something of an unreal beauty, charm, or excellence.

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verb (used without object)

dreamed, dreamt, dreaming

1. to have a dream.

2. to indulge in daydreams or reveries.

   He dreamed about vacation plans when he should have been working.

3. to think or conceive of something in a very remote way (usually followed byof ).

   I wouldn't dream of asking them.

verb (used with object)

dreamed, dreamt, dreaming

1. to see or imagine in sleep or in a vision.

2. to imagine as if in a dream; fancy; suppose.

3. to pass or spend (time) in dreaming (often followed byaway ).

   to dream away the afternoon.

adjective

1. most desirable; ideal.

   a dream vacation.

verb phrase

1. dream up to form in the imagination; devise.

   They dreamed up the most impossible plan.

dream British  

/ driːm /

noun

1. 1. mental activity, usually in the form of an imagined series of events, occurring during certain phases of sleep

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dream sequence

   3. ( in combination )

      dreamland

2. 1. a sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; daydream; fantasy

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dream world

3. a person or thing seen or occurring in a dream

4. a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration

5. a vain hope

6. a person or thing that is as pleasant, or seemingly unreal, as a dream

7. to move, develop, or work very well

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verb

1. (may take a clause as object) to undergo or experience (a dream or dreams)

2. (intr) to indulge in daydreams

3. (intr) to suffer delusions; be unrealistic

   you're dreaming if you think you can win

4. to have an image (of) or fantasy (about) in or as if in a dream

5. to consider the possibility (of)

   I wouldn't dream of troubling you

adjective

1. too good to be true; ideal

   dream kitchen

dream Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing dream

• pipe dream
• sweet dreams
• wouldn't dream of

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Related Words

Dream, nightmare, and vision refer to the kinds of mental images that form during sleep. Dream is the general term for any such succession of images. A nightmare is a dream that brings fear or anxiety: frightened by a nightmare. Vision refers to a series of images of unusual vividness, clarity, order, and significance, sometimes seen in a dream.

Other Word Forms

• dreamful adjective
• dreamfully adverb
• dreamfulness noun
• dreaming noun
• dreamingly adverb
• dreamless adjective
• dreamlessly adverb
• dreamlessness noun
• dreamlike adjective
• redream verb
• undreamed adjective
• undreaming adjective
• undreamlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of dream

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English dreem, Old English drēam “joy, mirth, gladness,” cognate with Old Saxon drōm “mirth, dream,” Old Norse draumr, Old High German troum “dream”

Example Sentences

Declan, who enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023, had interrupted his time at Drake University to deploy to Kuwait to pursue his dream of becoming an expert in computer networking and cybersecurity.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the final period of Monday’s title game, the Hoosiers’ dreams were slipping away.

From The Wall Street Journal

Your faces come to me in my dreams, and when I wake, and I realize that your presence was only a dream, my heart breaks all over again.

From Literature

I went to sleep at last and dreamed of Anna.

From Literature

And testimonials from former patients told stories of dreams come true after years of trying for a child.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• delusion
• fantasy
• idea
• image
• imagination
• nightmare
• thought