dream

[[t]dri͟ːm[/t]]

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dreams, dreaming, dreamed, dreamt

(American English uses the form dreamed as the past tense and past participle. British English uses either dreamed or dreamt.)

1) N-COUNT A dream is an imaginary series of events that you experience in your mind while you are asleep.

He had a dream about Claire...

I had a dream that I was in an old study, surrounded by leather books.

2) VERB When you dream, you experience imaginary events in your mind while you are asleep.

[V that] Ivor dreamed that he was on a bus...

[V about/of n] She dreamed about her baby. [Also V]

3) N-COUNT: usu with supp You can refer to a situation or event as a dream if you often think about it because you would like it to happen.

He had finally accomplished his dream of becoming a pilot...

My dream is to have a house in the country...

You can make that dream come true.

Syn:

ambition

4) VERB If you often think about something that you would very much like to happen or have, you can say that you dream of it.

[V of/about n/-ing] As a schoolgirl, she had dreamed of becoming an actress...

[V of/about n/-ing] For most of us, a brand new designer kitchen is something we can only dream about...

[V that] I dream that my son will attend college and find a good job.

5) ADJ: ADJ n You can use dream to describe something that you think is ideal or perfect, especially if it is something that you thought you would never be able to have or experience.

He had his dream house built on the banks of the river Bure.

...a dream holiday to Jamaica.

6) N-SING: poss N If you describe something as a particular person's dream, you think that it would be ideal for that person and that he or she would like it very much.

Greece is said to be a botanist's dream...

He's every girl's dream!

7) N-SING: a N If you say that something is a dream, you mean that it is wonderful. [INFORMAL]

8) N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp You can refer to a situation or event that does not seem real as a dream, especially if it is very strange or unpleasant.

When the right woman comes along, this bad dream will be over.

9) VERB: with neg (emphasis) If you say that you would not dream of doing something, you are emphasizing that you would never do it because you think it is wrong or is not possible or suitable for you.

[V of -ing/n] I wouldn't dream of making fun of you...

[V of -ing/n] My sons would never dream of expecting their clothes to be ironed.

10) VERB: with brd-neg (emphasis) If you say that you never dreamed that something would happen, you are emphasizing that you did not think that it would happen because it seemed very unlikely.

[V that] I never dreamed that I would be able to afford a home here...

[V of n] Who could ever dream of a disaster like this?...

I find life more charming and more astonishing than I'd ever dreamed.

11) → See also , wet dream

12) PHRASE If you tell someone to dream on, you mean that something they are hoping for is unlikely to happen.

`Perhaps one day I may go on a relaxing holiday.' - `Yeah, dream on.'

13) PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR If you say that you are in a dream, you mean that you do not concentrate properly on what you are doing because you are thinking about other things.

All day long I moved in a dream, my body performing its duties automatically.

14) PHRASE: PHR after v If you say that someone does something like a dream, you think that they do it very well. If you say that something happens like a dream, you mean that it happens successfully without any problems.

She cooked like a dream...

His ship had sailed like a dream.

15) PHRASE: n PHR If you describe someone or something as the person or thing of your dreams, you mean that you consider them to be ideal or perfect.

This could be the man of my dreams.

16) PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR with cl (emphasis) If you say that you could not imagine a particular thing in your wildest dreams, you are emphasizing that you think it is extremely strange or unlikely.

Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine there would be this kind of money in the game.

17) PHRASE: n PHR, PHR after v, v-link PHR (emphasis) If you describe something as being beyond your wildest dreams, you are emphasizing that it is better than you could have imagined or hoped for.

She had already achieved success beyond her wildest dreams.

Phrasal Verbs:

- dream up