dream

Everyday

1. A dream is a set of pictures, thoughts and feelings that happen in your mind while you sleep. tree →
2. A dream is something you wish for very much, like a goal. tree →
3. To dream is to have pictures and stories in your mind while sleeping. tree →
4. To dream of or about something is to imagine it or wish for it. tree →
5. To dream (daydream) is to think about other things instead of paying attention. tree →
6. «A dream» can mean something wonderful. tree →

In the lessons

In science, dreams happen mostly in a stage of sleep called REM sleep; everyone dreams, though many dreams are forgotten. A bad dream is a nightmare. In everyday life and stories, «my dream is to be a vet» means a hope for the future; Martin Luther King's «I have a dream» speech is famous. In stories, «it was all a dream» is an ending where nothing really happened. Phrases: «have a dream», «bad dream», «dream come true», «dream of», «sweet dreams», «in your dreams», «dream big».

Examples

• I had a funny dream about a flying pig. tree →
• Sweet dreams! tree →
• Her dream is to play for the national team. tree →
• I dreamt that I could breathe under water. tree →
• He dreams of visiting Australia. tree →
• Stop dreaming and finish your work. tree →
• Meeting the author was a dream come true. tree →
• I woke up from a bad dream and hugged my teddy. tree →
• Then it was not a dream. tree →

Note

Past: «dreamed» or «dreamt» (both correct; dreamt is more British). «Dream about» is used for sleep dreams and wishes; «dream of» more for wishes. Dreams are not real and do not tell the future. A nightmare is a frightening dream.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah, dreams can carry messages from God, as with Joseph and Pharaoh.

Interpretation. The rabbis said a dream needs interpreting and that Joseph's gift came from God. They also taught that a dream is only partly true, so one should not rely on it.

Examples

• And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. (Torah GEN.41.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• And they said one to another: 'Behold, this dreamer cometh. (Torah GEN.37.19, JPS 1917) tree →
• And he said unto them: 'Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: (Torah GEN.37.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• Then Thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions; (Writings JOB.7.14, JPS 1917) tree →
• Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these: (Writings DAN.2.28, JPS 1917) tree →
• This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. (Writings DAN.2.36, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Past: «dreamed» or «dreamt» (both correct; dreamt is more British). «Dream about» is used for sleep dreams and wishes; «dream of» more for wishes. Dreams are not real and do not tell the future. A nightmare is a frightening dream.