dream

[ dreem ]

/ drim /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dream 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.

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

dream·ful, adjective dream·ful·ly, adverb dream·ful·ness, noun dream·ing·ly, adverb

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

Words nearby dream

dread, dreadful, dreadfully, dreadlocks, dreadnought, dream, dream act, dream analysis, dream book, dream come true, a, dream merchant

Definition for dreaming (2 of 2)

dreamtime

[ dreem-tahym ]

/ ˈdrimˌtaɪm /

noun

(often initial capital letter) the ancient time of the creation of all things by sacred ancestors, whose spirits continue into the present, as conceived in the mythology of the Australian Aborigines.

Also called alcheringa, the dreaming.

Origin of dreamtime

First recorded in 1905–10; dream + time

Example sentences from the Web for dreaming

“The first time I saw Glacier National Park, it was the magical fantasy land I had always been dreaming about,” says Chin.

Adventure Photographer Jimmy Chin: Defying the Rational, Physically and Creatively |Oliver Jones |October 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
How many more “bedroom radicals” like Aqsa may be dreaming of such exploits is, at this point, impossible to say.

The Bride of ISIS Revealed |Jamie Dettmer |September 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A 55-year-old tourist died of a heart attack while dreaming of his hometown, Briansk.

Crimea: A Patriotic Russian Vacation From Hell |Anna Nemtsova |August 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Eighty-nine percent occurred when the person was awake, rather than dreaming or dozing.

Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death |Patricia Pearson |August 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

He had been dreaming of making this walk since he had read about plans to construct the towers when he was 17.

Philippe Petit’s Moment of Concern Walking the WTC Tightrope |Anthony Haden-Guest |August 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I have lived in a spiritual shadowland, dreaming elusive dreams, my better part stayed by the fitful vision of things unseen.

The Belovd Vagabond |William J. Locke
Sheba and Rupert leaned forward and gazed at it with dreaming eyes.

In Connection with the De Willoughby Claim |Frances Hodgson Burnett
Some are dreaming; you see it in the vacant eye, the listless face, the expression that betrays hopeless intoxication.

A Bit of Old China |Charles Warren Stoddard
The time for dreaming had passed away; the time for action was at hand.

The Marquis D'Argenson: A Study in Criticism |Arthur Ogle
Electra seemed to be dreaming away in a sad reminiscence of his kindness.

Rose MacLeod |Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for dreaming (1 of 2)

Dreamtime

/ (ˈdriːmtaɪm) /

noun

Also called: alchera (ˈæltʃərə), alcheringa (in the mythology of Australian Aboriginal peoples) a mythical Golden Age of the past

Australian informal any remote period, out of touch with the actualities of the present

British Dictionary definitions for dreaming (2 of 2)

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 unrealistic you'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; ideal dream kitchen

Derived forms of dream

dreamful, adjective dreamfully, adverb dreaming, noun, adjective dreamingly, adverb

dreamless, adjective dreamlessly, adverb dreamlessness, noun dreamlike, adjective

Word Origin for dream

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

Medical definitions for dreaming

dream

[ drēm ]

n.

A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

Idioms and Phrases with dreaming

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dream

noun

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

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

adjective

Verb Phrases

Origin of dream

synonym study for dream

OTHER WORDS FROM dream

Words nearby dream

Definition for dreaming (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of dreamtime

Example sentences from the Web for dreaming

British Dictionary definitions for dreaming (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for dreaming (2 of 2)

noun

verb dreams, dreaming, dreamed or dreamt (drɛmt)

adjective

Derived forms of dream

Word Origin for dream

Medical definitions for dreaming

n.

Idioms and Phrases with dreaming

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dream

noun

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

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

adjective

Verb Phrases

Origin of dream

synonym study for dream

OTHER WORDS FROM dream

Words nearby dream

Definition for dreaming (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of dreamtime

Words related to dreaming

Example sentences from the Web for dreaming

British Dictionary definitions for dreaming (1 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for dreaming (2 of 2)

noun

verb dreams, dreaming, dreamed or dreamt (drɛmt)

adjective

Derived forms of dream

Word Origin for dream

Medical definitions for dreaming

n.

Idioms and Phrases with dreaming