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View synonyms for

dream

[ dreem ]

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.


verb (used without object)

dreamed or 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 by of ):

    I wouldn't dream of asking them.

verb (used with object)

dreamed or 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 by away ):

    to dream away the afternoon.

adjective

  1. most desirable; ideal:

    a dream vacation.

verb phrase

  1. to form in the imagination; devise:

    They dreamed up the most impossible plan.

dream

/ ː /

noun

    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 ) oneiric

      dreamland

    1. a sequence of imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake; daydream; fantasy
    2. ( 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
“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

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. whenintr, foll by of or about to have an image (of) or fantasy (about) in or as if in a dream
  5. intrfoll byof to consider the possibility (of)

    I wouldn't dream of troubling you

“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

adjective

  1. too good to be true; ideal

    dream kitchen

“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ𲹳ڳܱ, adverb
  • ˈ𲹳Բ, nounadjective
  • ˈ𲹳, adjective
  • ˈ𲹳ly, adverb
  • ˈ𲹳Բly, adverb
  • ˈ𲹳ˌ, adjective
  • ˈ𲹳ness, noun
  • ˈ𲹳ڳܱ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • 𲹳fܱ adjective
  • 𲹳fܱ·ly adverb
  • 𲹳fܱ·ness noun
  • 𲹳iԲ· adverb
  • 𲹳l adjective
  • ·𲹳 verb redreamed or redreamt redreaming
  • ܲ·𲹳 adjective
  • ܲ·𲹳iԲ adjective
  • un·𲹳l adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dream1

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English dreem, Old English ŧ “joy, mirth, gladness,” cognate with Old Saxon ō “mirth, dream,” Old Norse draumr, Old High German troum “d𲹳”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dream1

Old English ŧ song; related to Old High German troum, Old Norse draumr, Greek thrulos noise
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Idioms and Phrases

  • pipe dream
  • sweet dreams
  • wouldn't dream of
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Synonym Study

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.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Forget the wildfires, earthquakes, water shortages and all the other factors that place the California dream in doubt, according to pundits.

From

In her opening statement, Ms Hayes said Elise was: "A young person with her own hopes and dreams."

From

Xi came to power in 2012 with a dream of a rejuvenated China.

From

That's exactly the moment when you have to work even harder, train more, sleep well, eat better, and above all keep dreaming.

From

“In recent years, California dreams have transformed into California nightmares of skyrocketing crime and dystopian scenes of homelessness and open-air drug use,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

From

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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.

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