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

Spencer did not collect the wickets, the international caps or the rewards he might have, but he experienced what most can only dream of.

From BBC

“EV profitability remains a distant dream for nearly every automaker,” Cox said in October.

From The Wall Street Journal

Occasionally, I got transformations so wild—or horrific—they could only be dreamed up with AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was the kind of moment Iamaleava had dreamed of growing in Long Beach and attending the cross-town rivalry as a kid.

From Los Angeles Times

Esteban had left his parents’ farm in Sinaloa in northern Mexico at 17 and came here, like everyone else, searching for the fabled American dream.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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