dreamer

dreamer — noun

1. someone who often fills their mind with fanciful or ambitious ideas and pictures

1.nounB1
Definition

someone who often fills their mind with fanciful or ambitious ideas and pictures that have little connection to real life or practical action.

Example

Iris was such a dreamer that she spent class time sketching imaginary islands.

such a dreamer + that-clause for result

"You are a dreamer," said the manager when Rodrigo promised to finish in one week.

dreamer + quoted speech for calling out impracticality

Common collocations
  • hopeless dreamer
  • romantic dreamer
  • young dreamer
  • idealistic dreamer
Synonyms
  • idealist

    more positive; focuses on high principles rather than fanciful imagination

  • visionary

    admiring; suggests original ideas that may later prove valuable

  • daydreamer

    more informal; emphasises inattention to surroundings

  • fantasist

    formal and often dismissive; suggests habitually inventing unreal stories

Antonyms
  • realist

    someone guided by facts and practical considerations

  • pragmatist

    someone focused on what works rather than what is ideal

Grammar Patterns

dreamer + of + noun (dreamer of peace)

such a dreamer + that-clause

Usage Note

Commonly carries a mildly disapproving or teasing tone in everyday conversation, though it can be admiring when applied to artists, inventors, or activists whose visions challenge current limits.

Common Mistakes

He is a dreamer who thinks about unrealistic things.
He is such a dreamer that he spends his savings on lottery tickets every week.
Pair 'dreamer' with a concrete example of impractical behaviour rather than restating the definition.
She is a dreamer in her sleep.' (when meaning sleepsoundly-with-dreams)
She is a vivid dreamer who often wakes up remembering long stories.
Use a sleep-related context to avoid confusion with sense 1.

2. a person who experiences images, sounds, or feelings in their mind while asleep.

2.nounB1
Definition

a person who experiences images, sounds, or feelings in their mind while asleep.

Example

Asher woke up with a shout and told his roommate he was a loud dreamer.

dreamer modified by adjective describing sleep behaviour

A dreamer's brain is nearly as active during sleep as when the person is awake.

Common collocations
  • vivid dreamer
  • light dreamer
  • heavy dreamer
  • quiet dreamer
Synonyms
  • sleeper

    broader; does not specify dreaming — just a person who is asleep

  • REM sleeper

    technical; a person in the stage of sleep associated with vivid dreams

Grammar Patterns

adjective + dreamer (vivid dreamer, light dreamer)

dreamer + of + noun (dreamer of flying)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense applies only when the person is literally asleep. Context typically includes words such as sleep, bed, dream, woke, or rapid eye movement.

Common Mistakes

He is a big dreamer who wants to change the world.
He is a big dreamer who talks in his sleep every night.
'Big dreamer' is ambiguous; add sleep-related details to clarify which sense you intend.

3. someone who arrived in the US during childhood without the documents required fo

3.nounC1
Definition

someone who arrived in the US during childhood without the documents required for legal residence and who has grown up there without immigration status.

Example

Diya, a DREAMer who arrived in Texas at age four, shared her story publicly.

appositive: named person + DREAMer + relative clause

The new law could give thousands of DREAMers a path to permanent residency.

thousands of DREAMers + path to [status]

Common collocations
  • undocumented DREAMer
  • young DREAMer
  • DREAMer status
  • DREAMer advocate
Synonyms
  • undocumented youth

    broader; includes young people in similar situations outside the US

  • DACA recipient

    narrower; refers specifically to those protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme

Grammar Patterns

DREAMer as proper noun

number + of + DREAMers

Usage Note

Always written with a capital D and often capitalised fully (DREAMer) to reflect the acronym origin. The term carries significant political weight in US immigration debates and is preferred by advocates over terms such as illegal immigrant.

Common Mistakes

The organization helps dreamers get legal status.
The organization helps DREAMers get legal status.
The capital D is essential to distinguish this sense from the general meaning of dreamer.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone whose thinking is guided more by imagination or principles than by practical limits. An idealist believes in high moral standards and a perfectible world and works towards that goal, whereas a visionary has original, far-reaching ideas that may change how people think — the difference is one of action versus insight. A daydreamer is more passive and informal, simply letting their mind wander away from the present moment. A fantasist is the most dismissive label, suggesting someone who habitually invents unreal stories, often to escape reality or to impress others. For example, calling Martin Luther King Jr. a visionary honours his impact, calling him an idealist acknowledges his moral conviction, calling him a daydreamer would be strange, and calling him a fantasist would be offensive.

idealistvisionary ↗daydreamerfantasist ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • be a dreamer
  • call someone a dreamer
  • young dreamer
  • little dreamer

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old English drēam, meaning 'joy, music, or sound,' which shifted during the Middle English period (1200s) to refer to the images and thoughts experienced during sleep. The sense of 'someone who indulges in impractical ideas' appeared in the 1700s. The capitalized DREAMer (2001) is a backronym from the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, proposed in the US Senate.