Home North American English dreamer

Definition of dreamer in US English:

dreamer

noun

1A person who dreams or is dreaming.
- ‘But MD succeeds in situating women as both dreamers and the dreamed, his examination of the desiring-trajectories of Hollywood's factory of dreams, succeeded in a way that Blackeyes never did.’
- ‘Some New Age lucid dreamers, however, believe that lucid dreaming is essential for self-improvement and personal growth.’
- ‘Vishnu is pictured as the divine dreamer of the world dream.’
- ‘And then I see the writing on the balcony valance: ‘We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.’’
- ‘He was a regular dreamer but this particular vision would kick-start the rest of his career - Marilyn Monroe dressed in paper.’
- ‘The dreamer, the visionary seer, not only sees, but does something, makes something.’
- ‘I'm a lucid dreamer so my dreams can get stranger still as I manipulate them.’
- ‘‘It's one indication that this dream lag effect is occurring in the minds of dreamers whose dreams seem to have for them some kind of constructive effect,’ said Kuiken.’
1. 1.1 A person who is unpractical or idealistic.
  ‘a rebellious young dreamer’
  ‘These groups and leaders are neither idealistic dreamers nor neo-hippie do-gooders.’
  ‘Melanie cleans office buildings but dreams of a better life that Teddo, an idealistic and impractical dreamer, cannot provide.’
  ‘There is a dynamic mix of industry veterans who have helped pioneer digital technologies, and a regular influx of ambitious and talented young dreamers who are relocating here from around the world.’
  ‘In any case reality is the opposite of what the world needs, especially in times of turmoil; we need more dreamers, more idealists untouched by the rules that so govern us.’
  ‘He is also an idealist and a dreamer, and getting away from the bright lights to breathe the fresh air and be close to nature is his idea of bliss.’
  ‘In middle school, the dreams were tempered and explored, and reality formally introduced itself to the young dreamers with disillusionment and pressures both social and academic.’
  ‘‘We were considered the clowns, the dreamers, the romantics,’ he adds.’
  ‘He was knighted by King George VI, and today a memorial lies in Westminster Abbey - an inspiration to young dreamers everywhere.’
  ‘I am a romantic, and a dreamer, and all those things that the world despises.’
  ‘But young Noel was a dreamer, a loner, a defiant reader.’
  ‘She prefers to skewer her opponents on the end of a rapier wit, whether it's bolshie feminists, exploitive therapists, or madcap utopian dreamers.’
  ‘Although modernism has its share of utopian dreamers, many artists of the past century have instead celebrated the fragmentary and the glimpsed.’
  ‘Thus, the proponents of local self-government have been cast in the role of reactionaries or Utopian dreamers who fail to understand the principles of modern government.’
  ‘But those people aren't looking for idealistic dreamers; they want to be confident that their capital is going to be conserved.’
  ‘But adults often say that idealism is for dreamers.’
  ‘He is known for innovative and fairly dark games and is a perpetual dreamer who has fantastic ideas.’
  ‘He even sees something of himself in Jan - he, too, used to be a dreamer, an angry young man, and he, too, wanted to change the world before real life got in the way.’
  ‘Nothing will bring a romantic dreamer down to reality faster than the bug, and every biting insect seems to visit us in turn.’
  ‘Advocates are considered, at best, idealistic dreamers who can't accept the harsh reality of the world, or at times, simply a mere irritation.’
  ‘This is a beautiful record for hopeless romantics and dreamers - don't let the cynics tell you otherwise.’
  fantasist, fantasizer, daydreamer
  View synonyms
2US A person who has lived in the US without official authorization since coming to the country as a minor. People of this description who met certain conditions would be eligible for a special immigration status under federal legislation first proposed in 2001.
‘she found out the Department of Transportation was not going to grant drivers' licenses to DREAMers’