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Glite Dictionary
to dream of

to dream of

385 2.7
To wish for something you want, often something unlikely to happen
  • phrasal verb
  • /drim ʌv/
translation icon : soñar con
  • Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?
  • dream of a better future
  • dream of love
  • never dream of

Yes, you know, I never dreamt of owning a business.

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Examples

  • Fired by her Christian idealism, Janet dreamed of being a missionary in Africa.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Young Malgosha always dreamed of being a world-class dancer.

    A Minecraft Movie (2025)

  • And so I dream of going back to be.

  • And, come on, we always dreamed of living like that.

    Babes (2024)

  • You and me dreamed of this in Wales, and now... it's real.

    Gran Turismo (2023)

  • -Ever since I was four years old, I dreamed of being a dancer.

    Last Resort (1996)

  • Ever since I was a child, I've dreamed of coming here.

    Love Don’t Fade Away (2023)

  • You're gonna see all the places you always dreamed of.

    Brian and Charles (2022)

  • So my whole life I've dreamed of creating such an AI assistant.

    Lex Fridman

  • Ever since I was four years old, I dream of being a dancer.

Synonyms

to hope
vsto dream of
∞ 1.0

To want something to happen and think it may be possible

wishes for unlikely ideal things rather than expecting realistic possibility
to envision
vsto dream of
164 4.1

To picture something in your mind, often a possible future

wishes for unlikely ideal results rather than planning a realistic future
to fantasize
vsto dream of
  • US
126 4.5

To imagine things that are not real because you want them

wishes for or imagines unlikely ideal outcomes rather than pure unreal play
to aspire
vsto dream of
106 4.1

To want very much to achieve an important goal

wishes for unlikely ideal things without the focused ambition to achieve them
to daydream
vsto dream of
39 2.3

To imagine pleasant things while you are awake and not paying attention

wishes for or imagines ideal outcomes but not only as idle distraction
to fantasy
vsto dream of
6.9

To imagine things that are unlikely or impossible

wishes for unlikely ideal things rather than indulging purely in fanciful play

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

to let it be
33 4.1

Accept a situation without trying to change it

How Desired

to yearn
92 4.9
to dream of
385 2.7
to long
114 4.5
wish
474 1.0

Surface Forms

dream of infinitive
dreamed of past
dreamed of past participle
dreaming of present participle
dreams of third person singular

Morphology

dream + of

The meaning 'to wish for or imagine' is directly derived from 'dream' (an aspiration or imagined outcome) combined with the preposition 'of' marking its target; this verb + preposition composition transparently links the mental activity to its object. The pattern is common in English and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Dream of comes from the image of sleeping and seeing a clear picture in your mind when you dream. Because those dreams often show our secret wishes, to dream of something now means 'to wish for' or imagine an ideal future.