dream

[ dreem ]
See synonyms for: dreamdreamingdreamsdreamt on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. the sleeping state in which this occurs.

  1. an object seen in a dream.

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

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

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

  5. a wild or vain fancy.

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

verb (used without object),dreamed or dreamt, dream·ing.
  1. to have a dream.

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

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

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

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

adjective
  1. most desirable; ideal: a dream vacation.

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

Origin of dream

1
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”

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, adjective
  • dream·ful·ly, adverb
  • dream·ful·ness, noun
  • dream·ing·ly, adverb
  • dreamlike, adjective
  • re·dream, verb, re·dreamed or re·dreamt, re·dream·ing.
  • un·dreamed, adjective
  • un·dream·ing, adjective
  • un·dream·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dream in a sentence

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

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

  2. a cherished hope; ambition; aspiration

  3. a vain hope

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

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

verbdreams, dreaming, dreamed or dreamt (drɛmt)
  1. (may take a clause as object) to undergo or experience (a dream or dreams)

  2. (intr) to indulge in daydreams

  1. (intr) to suffer delusions; be unrealistic: you're dreaming if you think you can win

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

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

adjective
  1. too good to be true; ideal: dream kitchen

Origin of dream

1
Old English drēam song; related to Old High German troum, Old Norse draumr, Greek thrulos noise

Derived forms of dream

  • dreamful, adjective
  • dreamfully, adverb
  • dreaming, noun, adjective
  • dreamingly, adverb
  • dreamless, adjective
  • dreamlessly, adverb
  • dreamlessness, noun
  • dreamlike, adjective

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.