— dreamful , adj. — dreamfully , adv. — dreamfulness , n. — dreamingly , adv. — dreamlike , adj.
/dreem/ , n. , v. , dreamed or dreamt, dreaming , adj.
n.
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.
v.i.
9. to have a dream.
10. to indulge in daydreams or reveries: He dreamed about vacation plans when he should have been working.
11. to think or conceive of something in a very remote way (usually fol. by of ): I wouldn't dream of asking them.
v.t.
12. to see or imagine in sleep or in a vision.
13. to imagine as if in a dream; fancy; suppose.
14. to pass or spend (time) in dreaming (often fol. by away ): to dream away the afternoon.
15. dream up , to form in the imagination; devise: They dreamed up the most impossible plan.
adj.
16. most desirable; ideal: a dream vacation.
[ 1200-50; ME dreem, OE dream joy, mirth, gladness, c. OS drom mirth, dream, ON draumr, OHG troum dream; modern sense first recorded in ME but presumably also current in OE, as in OS ]
Syn. 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.