English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
noun

dream

DREEM
noun
1
A series of images, thoughts, or feelings experienced during sleep.
"I had a strange dream about flying over the ocean."
"He woke up from a nightmare in a cold sweat."
2
A strong hope, ambition, or wish for the future.
"Her dream is to open her own bakery someday."
verb
1
To experience images and events in the mind while asleep.
"I dreamed about my childhood home last night."
2
To hope or aspire to something.
"She always dreamed of becoming a pilot."

How to Use Dream

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the images your mind creates while asleep, or a strong hope for your future.

Common pairings
have a dream live the dream dream of dream big

Word Forms

dreamed past tense, dreamt past tense, dreams plural, dreams singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “dream” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

I had a strange _____ about flying over the ocean.

Etymology

From Old English drēam, originally meaning "joy" or "music," which merged with a related Old Norse word draumr meaning "dream" — the exact path from "joy" to "sleeping vision" is debated by scholars.

Rhymes for dream

See all rhymes for dream →
Definitions: FreeDict original editorial