dreads 1 of 2

noun

plural of dread
as in terrors
something or someone that causes fear or dread especially without reason speaking in public is a perennial dread for many people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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dreads

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of dread
as in fears

Related Words

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 dreads
Noun
He's described by officials as a Black male in his late teens with a medium-large build and thick dreads. — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 15 June 2026 Mirror images except for the fact that Jelani has his hair in dreads, while Ari goes with the more retro-look afro. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026 But the have-funs and the have-existential-dreads of the hockey community are every bit as clear. — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026 The courtroom doors cracked open, and a Black woman with long dreads walked in. — Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026 Also, there is this human white boy with dreads, Spider, a Tarzan type who hangs around the Sullys with the help of an oxygen mask. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2025 Other introspective angles are explored during Mariano’s audiences with his friend the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), a serene Black man with a head crowned by a bundle of silver dreads, who tools around the Vatican on a motorbike. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dreads
  1. terrors
  2. fears
  3. spirits
  4. plagues
  5. curses
  6. torments
Noun
  • Which iconic horrors will return to haunt the hallowed halls of 13 and what new terrors await?
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026
  • But above all, this page-turner by one of today’s great nonfiction writers is alert to the glories and terrors of daily inner life.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 8 July 2026
Definition of terrors
Verb
  • Wedding season is in full swing, bringing with it a familiar sense of dread for anyone who fears the dance floor.
    — Chloe Veltman, NPR, 11 July 2026
  • Former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor fears what could happen if Americans lose faith the courts will apply the law without regard to politics, party or social standing.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of fears
Noun
  • Further lifting Toohey’s spirits is his former high school roommate Lachlan Olbrich.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
  • Space opened up and despite trailing, Argentine spirits were lifted.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • The good news is prevention of the plagues brought by bugs is possible.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • Many of them, like Tubbs, were refugee Midwesterners, sick of parching droughts and devouring plagues of locusts, the insects descending in buzzing clouds thick enough to blacken the noonday sun.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of plagues
Noun
  • Directed by Sébastien Vanicek (2023’s Infested), the follow-up to 2023 reboot Evil Dead Rise stars Wednesday‘s Hunter Doohan in a story about curses lingering too long in a family and the undead that haunts them.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 7 July 2026
  • Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026
Definition of curses
Noun
  • So too did Trump spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain, who compared the president’s torments to those of Jesus.
    — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
  • In the face of such grave concerns, Alyoshka’s torments seem self-indulgent and frustrating, but his problem—whether to leave or stay—is far from insignificant.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of torments

Browse Nearby Words

dreadnoughts
dreads
dream
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Cite this Entry

“Dreads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dreads. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of dreads for Spanish Speakers

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