daydreaming 1 of 3

noun

as in trance
the state of being lost in thought if you're bored while traveling, daydreaming is a perfectly normal state to be in, regardless of what the road signs say

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daydreaming

2 of 3

adjective

as in dreaming

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Dissimilar Words

daydreaming

3 of 3

verb

present participle of daydream
as in fantasizing

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of daydreaming
Noun
When your seatmate is leading a Q1 strategy session, staring out the window and daydreaming—one of the most distinct opportunities of flying—may seem like time wasted. — Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Whereas, symptoms for women tend to be more internalized and subtle, such as with more quiet distractibility, daydreaming, disorganization, excessive talking and emotional dysregulation. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 No amount of daydreaming would have been able to replace the knowledge that Lenny could have shared. — Literary Hub, 14 May 2026 But across the rest of the record, whether retelling or daydreaming, Hawke maintains a writerly attention to assonance and rhyme. — Caitlin Wolper Phillips, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026 Nothing wrong with idealizing and daydreaming, but to a certain extent. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 These cuts enable us to spend more time daydreaming and less time in the salon. — Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Feb. 2026 Filmmaking is blind instinct, petty calculations, smooth generalship, daydreaming, pig-headedness, grace, bluff, risk. — Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025 The colorful flowers are perfect for a photo-op or casual daydreaming. — Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daydreaming
  1. trance
  2. dreamy
  3. dreaming
  4. daydream
  5. pensive
  6. fantasizing
  7. absorbed
  8. envisioning
Noun
  • The oracle was a priestess who entered a trance state to convey answers from Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
  • At its best, Happiness Anytime finds Bridges stretching out as a singer, leaning into the trance-like rhythms provided by Jungle’s Tom McFarland, Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of trance
Adjective
  • The building itself is a marvel, along with the dreamy, bucolic setting, laced with ivy, lemon trees, and cascading stone fountains.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Gash love composing songs whose intersecting lines set the entire mood of the song—jarring, dreamy, or nostalgic—in the style of art-house sampling.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dreamy
Verb
  • Mage, who grew up in France, went from California dreaming to living the dream.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The club, the fans and the media let themselves get carried away dreaming about the possibilities of club president Florentino Perez’s latest galacticos project.
    — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of dreaming
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Walking through prewar Berlin, taking in its historic architecture, Susanna daydreams of her native New York, an ever-changing city where buildings are torn down and rebuilt in the blink of an eye.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of daydream
Adjective
  • Enough with the pensive mood pieces; bring back the pie f**king!
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Reddington sat pensive, drumming his fingers on the defense table.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of pensive
Verb
  • Massi is the first to leave, fantasizing about walking off with Joy; then Kat.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • There’s a major sequence in the film — some of which is in the trailer — where Lowen is pleasuring herself and fantasizing about having sex with Jeremy but then the fantasy switches to Verity, and Anne and Dakota kiss.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fantasizing
Adjective
  • Unabsorbed calcium leaves the body through stool, and absorbed calcium that isn't needed may be filtered by the kidneys and leave in urine—often within about a day.
    — Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Although the mercury hovered at only 5°, all of us became so absorbed in the rabbit chase that no one noticed numb toes and cold ears.
    — Erwin A. Bauer, Outdoor Life, 25 Dec. 2024
Definition of absorbed
Verb
  • The professor, who is based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, first presented plans for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in 1988, envisioning a vast network of sensors in Antarctic ice that could capture neutrinos.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In the long term, the startup is envisioning a global network of O-factories that would bring manufacturing closer to the major markets of fashion brands.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of envisioning

Browse Nearby Words

daydreamers
daydreaming
daydreamlike
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Cite this Entry

“Daydreaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daydreaming. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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