dream

[ dreem ]

/ drim /

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See synonyms for: dream / dreaming / dreams / dreamt on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the sleeping state in which this occurs.

an object seen in a dream.

an involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.

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

an aspiration; goal; aim: A trip to Europe is his dream.

a wild or vain fancy.

something of an unreal beauty, charm, or excellence.

verb (used without object), dreamed or dreamt, dream·ing.

to have a dream.

to indulge in daydreams or reveries: He dreamed about vacation plans when he should have been working.

to think or conceive of something in a very remote way (usually followed by of): I wouldn't dream of asking them.

verb (used with object), dreamed or dreamt, dream·ing.

to see or imagine in sleep or in a vision.

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

to pass or spend (time) in dreaming (often followed by away): to dream away the afternoon.

adjective

most desirable; ideal: a dream vacation.

Verb Phrases

dream up, to form in the imagination; devise: They dreamed up the most impossible plan.

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Origin of dream

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; modern sense first recorded in ME but presumably also current in Old English, as in Old Saxon

synonym study for dream

1. 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 WORDS FROM dream

dreamful, adjectivedream·ful·ly, adverbdream·ful·ness, noundream·ing·ly, adverb

dreamlike, adjectivere·dream, verb, re·dreamed or re·dreamt, re·dream·ing.un·dreamed, adjectiveun·dream·ing, adjectiveun·dream·like, adjective

Words nearby dream

dread, dreadful, dreadfully, dreadlocks, dreadnought, dream, Dream Act, dream analysis, dreamboat, dream book, dreamer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dream in a sentence

His duet with Egyptian singer Mohammed Ramadan, released four years on, racked up 100 million views in a month — numbers that American superstars dream of.
The Biggest Challenge for Apple and Spotify in North Africa: YouTube|Eromo Egbejule|September 17, 2020|Ozy
We all know times are incredibly tough, and everyone’s working overtime on steroids to keep their startup dreams alive.
TechCrunch still brings the fun to Disrupt 2020|Alexandra Ames|September 11, 2020|TechCrunch
This book is so meaningful to me, and I recommend everyone read it—especially young women who may be unsure of decisions you are facing and how they may impact your ability to reach your dreams.
Book recommendations from Fortune’s 40 under 40 in government and policy|Rachel King|September 10, 2020|Fortune
It’s not clear how much he’s paying for the trip, but one has to assume it’s more than most of us could ever dream of making in our lifetimes.
When will we see ordinary people going into space?|Neel Patel|September 9, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Many dreamed that instant access to information would improve our ability to discern truth from lies and good from bad.
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine shows the power of ‘community intelligence’|matthewheimer|September 9, 2020|Fortune
I was drawn to The Class for different reasons—chiefly, the pipe dream of achieving a tighter and tauter backside.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Eighty-ninth Congress was potentially more fertile ground for the broad range of controversial programs on his dream agenda.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I fall back into a dream and then suddenly there is a tapping on the window just above my bed.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So where does this leave the millions of Palestinians—like my relatives—who dream of self-determination and a sovereign state?
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And for those on the Palestinian right who still dream of driving the Jews into the sea, they too can forget it.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She would never forget it; but realizing its gravity, she decided thereupon never to tell it—the dream—to anybody.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Little did Tressan dream to what a cask of gunpowder he was applying the match of his smug pertness.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
She was in a dream of oily odours and monstrous iron constructions, dominated by the grand foreman: and Edwin was in the dream.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
As the devil never wanted insinuators, I shall observe, that I learned a way how to make a man dream of what I pleased.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Alice Arden, you little dream of the man and the route by which, possibly, deliverance is speeding to you.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for dream

dream

/ (driːm) /

noun

mental activity, usually in the form of an imagined series of events, occurring during certain phases of sleep
(as modifier)a dream sequence
(in combination)dreamland Related adjective: oneiric

a sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; daydream; fantasy
(as modifier)a dream world

a person or thing seen or occurring in a dream

a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration

a vain hope

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

go like a dream to move, develop, or work very well

verb dreams, dreaming, dreamed or dreamt (drɛmt)

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

(intr) to indulge in daydreams

(intr) to suffer delusions; be unrealisticyou're dreaming if you think you can win

(when intr, foll by of or about) to have an image (of) or fantasy (about) in or as if in a dream

(intr foll by of) to consider the possibility (of)I wouldn't dream of troubling you

adjective

too good to be true; idealdream kitchen

Derived forms of dream

dreamful, adjectivedreamfully, adverbdreaming, noun, adjectivedreamingly, adverb

dreamless, adjectivedreamlessly, adverbdreamlessness, noundreamlike, adjective

Word Origin for dream

Old English drēam song; related to Old High German troum, Old Norse draumr, Greek thrulos noise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with dream

dream

In addition to the idioms beginning with dream

dream come true, a
dream up

also see:

pipe dream
sweet dreams
wouldn't dream of

dream

Origin of dream

synonym study for dream

OTHER WORDS FROM dream

Words nearby dream

Words related to dream

How to use dream in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dream

Derived forms of dream

Word Origin for dream

Other Idioms and Phrases with dream