sweet dreams
- idiom
- Informal
:
dulces sueños
- On that note, little lullaby, sweet dreams to lull you to sleep.
Examples
-
Sweet dreams, OK?
-
Sweet dreams, John.
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"Sweet dreams, honey," I whispered, hoping so with all my might.
Fiction book (1994) -
Sweet dreams, my comatose cosmonauts.
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Sweet dreams, Eden.
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Sweet dreams, Mr. Dallas!
Fiction book (1997) -
"Sweet dreams," I said to my daughter as she settled into bed.
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"Sweet dreams," her mother whispered, tucking her in for the night.
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As I turned off the light, I reminded him to have sweet dreams.
Synonyms
14
3.4
To wish someone a good night's sleep
Antonyms
How Friendly
- Informal
- Baby Talk
3
8.1
- Baby Talk
- Literature
1
8.4
77
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase directly combines 'sweet' (pleasant) with 'dreams' (mental events during sleep), so its intended meaning — wishing someone pleasant/happy dreams — is immediately derivable from the parts. Although formulaic as a conventional goodnight remark, the compositional meaning is transparent and mirrors similar expressions in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the words will understand it.
Etymology
Sweet dreams comes from a simple idea: people wanted someone to have sweet dreams, gentle and pleasant thoughts while they slept. That's why today we say sweet dreams to wish someone 'pleasant or happy dreams' before bed.