dream up

verb

dreamed up or dreamt up; dreaming up; dreams up

transitive verb

: to form in the mind : devise, concoct

Examples of dream up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
More than one of these challenges can be taken seriously at once, but the time and resources required to tackle all of them are limited: Only so many policy initiatives can be dreamed up, fought for, and funded. Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2025 Sometimes, simply dreaming up such grand projects discourages us from even starting because the end goal just seems so unattainable. Farzana Abdulhusein, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 Julie and Mark are characters dreamed up by Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist who was one of the original architects of moral-foundations theory. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025 Each country’s Olympic hosting organization committee dreams up its own vision. Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dream up 

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dream up was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near dream up

Cite this Entry

“Dream up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dream%20up. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on dream up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!