dream
Americannoun
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a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.
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the sleeping state in which this occurs.
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an object seen in a dream.
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an involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.
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a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake; daydream; reverie.
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an aspiration; goal; aim.
A trip to Europe is his dream.
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a wild or vain fancy.
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something of an unreal beauty, charm, or excellence.
verb (used without object)
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to have a dream.
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to indulge in daydreams or reveries.
He dreamed about vacation plans when he should have been working.
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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)
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to see or imagine in sleep or in a vision.
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to imagine as if in a dream; fancy; suppose.
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to pass or spend (time) in dreaming (often followed byaway ).
to dream away the afternoon.
adjective
verb phrase
noun
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mental activity, usually in the form of an imagined series of events, occurring during certain phases of sleep
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( as modifier )
a dream sequence
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( in combination )
dreamland
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a sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; daydream; fantasy
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( as modifier )
a dream world
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a person or thing seen or occurring in a dream
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a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration
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a vain hope
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a person or thing that is as pleasant, or seemingly unreal, as a dream
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to move, develop, or work very well
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to undergo or experience (a dream or dreams)
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(intr) to indulge in daydreams
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(intr) to suffer delusions; be unrealistic
you're dreaming if you think you can win
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to have an image (of) or fantasy (about) in or as if in a dream
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to consider the possibility (of)
I wouldn't dream of troubling you
adjective
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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dreamfulnessnoun
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dreamingnoun
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dreamlessnessnoun
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redreamverb
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dreamfuladjective
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dreamlessadjective
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dreamlikeadjective
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undreamedadjective
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undreamingadjective
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undreamlikeadjective
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dreamfullyadverb
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dreaminglyadverb
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dreamlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dreamsimple
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dreamssimple
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have dreamedperfect
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have dreamtperfect
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has dreamedperfect
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has dreamtperfect
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am dreamingprogressive
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are dreamingprogressive
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is dreamingprogressive
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have been dreamingperfect progressive
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has been dreamingperfect progressive
Past
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dreamedsimple
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dreamtsimple
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had dreamedperfect
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had dreamtperfect
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was dreamingprogressive
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were dreamingprogressive
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had been dreamingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
A dream is one of the little movies in your mind that play at night, or a type of hope: you might dream of being a doctor. Everyone dreams, and dreams tend to be weird, but the images and sounds that fill your head as you sleep are just part of the meaning of this word. People also have dreams that are kind of like plans and goals: many people dream of being movie stars. A good car runs like a dream. Something too good to be true feels like a dream. If you're acting confused, someone might say, "Stop dreaming!"
Vocabulary lists containing dream
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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:
The family has a dream of its own: “creating a bakery in her name to honor her memory and her dreams,” the fundraiser said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Other empty-nesters are using the opportunity to buy bigger homes near children and grandchildren, or relocate to a dream location—with hopes of luring friends and family to visit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Added Jones: “Thinking that this kid from Curaçao who came here chasing a dream, gets a chance to play a sport he loves and ends up in Cooperstown, is wild.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
He finally managed to fulfil his dream of winning the trophy at Qatar 2022, helping make up for past pain including the 2014 final defeat by Germany in Rio de Janeiro.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
There were so many kids there that he found it easy to hide and do what he did best: dream up his favorite fairy tales.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Sophie plays Brooklyn, an ambitious teenager from a musical family who dreams of making it big, a character she said she "immediately connected" with.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
She baked biscuits worth defending, yet pooh-poohed her grandson’s Broadway dreams.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Set in 1897 in rural Australia, the film follows Davis’ Sybylla, who dreams of becoming a writer, an unconventional aspiration given her family’s poverty and societal norms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
After signing for Locomotive, Fernandez said: "This journey back to professional soccer is about believing in yourself, taking risks, and continuing to chase your dreams no matter how unexpected the path may be."
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The cold is much sharper, much harsher than the cold I felt in my dreams.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
"When I was growing up, I dreamed about becoming a private investigator," she said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Sophie Lennon, from Mayobridge, County Down said her "life has changed overnight" since receiving the news she "always dreamed of".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Sometimes investors get lucky owning a media combination dreamed up by Wall Street, but even that’s relative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
They rave about their “upscale lifestyle beyond anything we could have dreamed possible,” living in a spacious penthouse apartment with great views and a housekeeper.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“First with Tūtū, then with your mom. The map you’re holding was to your mom’s and my special spot. The place where we dreamed about the future.”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
In Nolan's world, the horse - dreamt up by the wily Odysseus to trick the Trojan army and get the Greeks into Troy - doesn't have wheels.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“We made it to America. You dreamt about that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Abdi had long dreamt of moving to America.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Last September, Thomas asserted that existing court decisions are not “the gospel” and that they may be based on “something somebody dreamt up and others went along with.”
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
What had she dreamt all these years about her other daughters?
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
"We've been dreaming for 18 months," Barry said of the vision he and Tuchel had after taking charge of the team in January 2025.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“It’s very painful because dreaming gives us hope; losing this way hurts a lot.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
“We’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Thirty-two years later, the Americans are dreaming even bigger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
We stood side by side, looking past the settling debris, not daring to talk in case we were dreaming wide awake.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
