as in dreams
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
hoped that one day world peace would be a reality and not just a daydream
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 daydreams
Richard Gehr, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2026
Alas, my daydreams about adapting an essay from my collection into a limited series TV show turned out to be just that.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
What about those perfect days and the daydreams that had sustained us?
—Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
Our roundup includes relaxing tubs, glamorous vanities, and sleek showers—from crisp and approachable to luxurious and extra, see stylish spaces that mid-afternoon daydreams are made of.
—Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 Nov. 2025
But Ma has been deftly drawn as a canny realist and problem solver—not the kind of person to indulge in daydreams.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
Ellen retreats to her room and daydreams of her father, who understood his headstrong daughter.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
In the Netflix dramedy Too Much, a brokenhearted American, Jess, makes the move across the pond, inspired in part by daydreams of stately castles, rolling green hills and dashing gentlemen professing their ardent admiration.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
Bob Weir, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, whose songs about sunshine daydreams and truckin’ helped turn the jam band into a 60-year musical empire, has died at age 78.
—Richard Gehr, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2026
Alas, my daydreams about adapting an essay from my collection into a limited series TV show turned out to be just that.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
What about those perfect days and the daydreams that had sustained us?
—Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
Our roundup includes relaxing tubs, glamorous vanities, and sleek showers—from crisp and approachable to luxurious and extra, see stylish spaces that mid-afternoon daydreams are made of.
—Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 Nov. 2025
But Ma has been deftly drawn as a canny realist and problem solver—not the kind of person to indulge in daydreams.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
Ellen retreats to her room and daydreams of her father, who understood his headstrong daughter.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
In the Netflix dramedy Too Much, a brokenhearted American, Jess, makes the move across the pond, inspired in part by daydreams of stately castles, rolling green hills and dashing gentlemen professing their ardent admiration.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daydreams
Noun
-
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Virgo August 23 – September 22 When dreams collide with walls, craft a clear plan.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Mauritanian survivor Koumba Diabaté enacts a beat-for-beat recreation of his Casino Royale fantasies in the Imperial Sky Villa of the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Now, with its fantasies of mass deportation, the British National Party was tapping into a four-hundred-year-old darkness.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Big claims without specifics, such as bold visions with no concrete examples.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
And even the ethical people have differing perspectives—hard-core utilitarians focus on suffering—and then there are people like me who have more ambitious visions.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who fantasizes about the new and improved version of themselves that awaits on the other side of the ball drop can relate to the special blend of optimism and self-criticism that the New Year often holds.—
Lauren Mechling,
Vogue,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Emily fantasizes about returning to childhood, then complains about woman’s lower political and social status in nineteenth-century New England.—
Via Chronicle Books,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Rybakina was under more scoreboard pressure in her service games, but Sabalenka’s opportunities were mostly illusions.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Saturn brings accountability, Neptune dissolves illusions and Aries demands action.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Gronk makes his game prediction Boise State may be coming into Saturday’s game as an underdog by over a touchdown, but Gronkowski fancies the Broncos’ chances.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
13 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The historical fiction imagines the Mexican and American armies fighting for control of the West — part myth, fact and fiction spanning the past and present.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Somalia did not always know extremist violence in the way the world imagines today.—
Abdi Nor Iftin,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors said Thurman admitted to the stabbing and identified himself in multiple still images before, during and after the attack.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Denneau is part of the team behind ATLAS — short for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System — a network of wide-field telescopes that repeatedly images huge swaths of sky to catch anything that moves, particularly near-Earth asteroids.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Daydreams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daydreams. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
