dream
Americannoun
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dreams
plural
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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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dreams,
present (3rd person singular)
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dreamed,
past participle, past
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dreamt,
past participle, past
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dreaming
present participle
-
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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dreams,
present (3rd person singular)
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dreamed,
past participle, past
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dreamt,
past participle, past
-
dreaming
present participle
-
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:
"I'm not alone, I know that behind me millions of women, from many countries, have the same dream and they are standing with me."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
He was left with a vague feeling of waking from a very long dream.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
“To see Dosis and ‘No Capea’ celebrated alongside artists I admire is a dream come true,” said Xavi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
So the clock was ticking for the Ohio family to go on their dream vacation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
He remembered his dream of falling into the Sea of Nowhere, of the moment Mrs. Contreras told him that Pili had run away, of the seconds after he fell from the Finnegan roof.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Bad management played a part in not fulfilling his potential, but he admits "living for other people's dreams and ambitions."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
He ran an operation involving sham modelling agencies that exploited the dreams of aspiring young models and their parents for more than eight years.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
In his new book, ‘Inside the Owner’s Box,’ Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein shares the childhood dreams that informed his biggest personal investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
A new mommy-and-me tennis class and childcare grant are making their dreams possible again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
There was also talk of love, because each knight had a lady of his dreams.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Like the rest of us, he never dreamed of moving to Bremerton, either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
“We never dreamed anything like this would ever happen to us, turning people from trusting to everybody wanting to get alarm systems and security lights.”
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Rhys said he first saw the play as a student in London more than 30 years ago and dreamed of portraying Burton ever since.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
“It was everything we dreamed of and more,” his wife later wrote on Instagram.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Complicated financial stuff was being dreamed up for the sole purpose of lending money to people who could never repay it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
“I’ve spent my entire twenties sitting across from the most incredible people, people I’d always dreamt of meeting,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
From a modest family, he dreamt of becoming a computer engineer to "change his life", he told AFP, withholding his surname because "the fear is still there".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Growing up in her family's bakery, she had dreamt of one day running her own business.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Money itself is just a construct, one with rules dreamt up by humans.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
That was a risk they had never dreamt of in their philosophy.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Now, like many Iranian students dreaming of a future elsewhere, she is scrambling to find another way to take it, while absorbing the new exam fee and hefty travel costs.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
But Bendrau is constantly dreaming up new Aussie-inspired menu items for Journey Beyond’s various multi-day train trips across the country.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
That plot twist gives Chase the opportunity to send Gemma into the Further, dreaming up all sorts of frighteningly surreal environments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"It feels like you're dreaming your day away," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
I saw Duuzuu asleep on Connor’s pillow, dreaming of a world where he could still slip through the clouds.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
