bad dream
noun
: a dream that is scary or upsetting : nightmare
Scary movies always give me bad dreams.
Examples of bad dream in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As if recalling a bad dream, sales agents and buyers practically shudder when describing having to navigate a maze of slot machines and roulette tables to get to their offices in the Palms Casino Resort.
—
Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
But instead of the water overtaking the fictional character, Swift gets up and walks off as if the demise of the character was a bad dream.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Now that the fog of war is lifting, upbeat forecasts that predated Liberation Day are back, meaning stocks could put up big numbers again—as if the tariff shock from a few months ago was all just a bad dream.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 July 2025
Set against Barca’s supreme serenity, that month is like a bad dream.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 May 2025
In the original, Devon Sawa played the psychically gifted Alex, whose bad dream set off this violent string of events.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Another tester confirms that these are perfect for people who often wake up sweating (and not just because of a bad dream).
—Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 27 Feb. 2025
This isn’t the first time he’s had a bad dream about the city or his last year there.
—Ayan Artan, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
That this night was nothing more than a bad dream, a living breathing nightmare.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
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Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
But instead of the water overtaking the fictional character, Swift gets up and walks off as if the demise of the character was a bad dream.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Now that the fog of war is lifting, upbeat forecasts that predated Liberation Day are back, meaning stocks could put up big numbers again—as if the tariff shock from a few months ago was all just a bad dream.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 July 2025
Set against Barca’s supreme serenity, that month is like a bad dream.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 May 2025
In the original, Devon Sawa played the psychically gifted Alex, whose bad dream set off this violent string of events.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
Another tester confirms that these are perfect for people who often wake up sweating (and not just because of a bad dream).
—Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 27 Feb. 2025
This isn’t the first time he’s had a bad dream about the city or his last year there.
—Ayan Artan, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
That this night was nothing more than a bad dream, a living breathing nightmare.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bad dream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20dream. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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