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)

• romantic
• idealist

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

Every wreck, every ruin is the relic of a shriveled dream, lasting long after the body of its dreamer has been received back into the earth with love or remorse or indifference. —Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 10 July 2025

The American project is a patchwork of dreamers and doers, saints and sinners, stitched together by the thread of promise that stretches across generations. —F. Willis Johnson, Twin Cities, 10 July 2025

Businesses today will benefit from encouraging innovation, embracing dreamers, promoting risk-taking and mentoring younger team members. —Thomas Bostick, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025

Although Texas was the first to pass a state dreamers act, about half of U.S. states followed its lead. —Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 6 July 2025

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

Rhymes for dreamer

• beamer
• creamer
• femur
• lemur
• reamer
• schemer
• steamer
• streamer
• redeemer