dream up

verb

dreamed up or dreamt up; dreaming up; dreams up

transitive verb

: to form in the mind : devise, concoct

Examples of dream up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1951, Brennan's proprietor, Owen Brennan (Ralph’s uncle) was seeking an OG viral moment, and tapped chef de cuisine Paul Blangé to dream up a new special dessert to serve a local politician who was dining at the restaurant that evening. Karla Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2026 Catastrophe bonds were dreamed up in the mid-1990s, after Hurricane Andrew tore through Florida and proved that even the big reinsurers could be swamped by a single storm. Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 The plethora of sophisticated sci-fi in the past half-century means pretty much every alien lifeform or spacecraft that moviemakers can dream up has been seen — which is not to say production designer Adam Stockhausen’s work on the latter isn’t impressive. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026 Instead, it was scattered among the booths of the usual PC DIY suspects, helping builders dream up ever more creative ways to customize, cool, power, and show off their desktop rigs. John Burek, PC Magazine, 7 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for dream up

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dream up was in 1837

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Cite this Entry

“Dream up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dream%20up. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.

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