dreamer

1 of 2

noun (1)

dream·​er ˈdrē-mər 

1

: one that dreams

2

a

: one who lives in a world of fancy and imagination

b

: one who has ideas or conceives projects regarded as impractical : visionary

Dreamer

2 of 2

noun (2)

Dream·​er ˈdrē-mər 

variants or less commonly dreamer or DREAMer

plural Dreamers also dreamers or DREAMers

: a person living in the United States without legal status who arrived as the child of someone who did not have the documentation required for legal entry or residence

In U.S. medical schools, there are currently 99 Dreamers enrolled, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

—Todd Ackerman

The program—Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—protects about 700,000 people, known as dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families that overstayed visas.

—Mark Sherman

Bipartisan support exists for some form of legal protection for DREAMers, but fights over who should be protected, to what level and what should be included in the overall deal has forced Congress to a standstill.

—Eliza Collins

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• Don Quixote
• fantast
• idealist
• idealizer
• ideologue
• idealogue
• romantic
• romanticist
• utopian
• visionary

Examples of dreamer in a Sentence

Noun (1)

I am a realist, but my sister is a dreamer.

Some dreamers talk in their sleep to the people in their dreams.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The biography chronicles her journey from growing up in Dublin, Ireland, a wrestling-loving dreamer to signing up with WWE in 2013 to ultimately main-eventing WrestleMania. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024

From earth signs like Taurus and Virgo to fellow water signs like Scorpio, here's everything to know about Pisces compatibility, according to astrologers Known as the dreamers of the zodiac, Pisceans are deeply emotional, creative and intuitive, and their relationships reflect that. —Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2024

This machinery of many moving parts is helmed by one courageous dreamer: Imani Ellis, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CultureCon’s parent company, The Creative Collective NYC. —Tenille Clarke, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024

These words were not in my dreamer’s vocabulary at 22. —Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024

Luminaries like Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Ava DuVernay and Lulu Wang all went from hopeful dreamers to actual filmmakers in part thanks to the Sundance Film Festival, which just concluded its 40th year. —Nicole Sperling Joel Barhamand, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024

Ninety percent of the American people believe that the dreamers should have a pathway to citizenship. —CBS News, 26 Nov. 2023

Ariana DeBose has an inspiring message for dreamers. —Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023

Your little dreamer is sure to be mesmerized by the planetarium show, with its surround sound and captivating storytelling. —Kathy Buccio, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate as S.1291 in 2001 but not passed) + -er entry 2, with play on dreamer

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

2004, in the meaning defined above