dreamer

1 of 2

noun (1)

dream·​er ˈdrē-mər 

1

: one that dreams

2

a

: one who lives in a world of fancy and imagination

b

: one who has ideas or conceives projects regarded as impractical : visionary

Dreamer

2 of 2

noun (2)

Dream·​er ˈdrē-mər 

variants or less commonly dreamer or DREAMer

plural Dreamers also dreamers or DREAMers

: a person living in the United States without legal status who arrived as the child of someone who did not have the documentation required for legal entry or residence

In U.S. medical schools, there are currently 99 Dreamers enrolled, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

—Todd Ackerman

The program—Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—protects about 700,000 people, known as dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families that overstayed visas.

—Mark Sherman

Bipartisan support exists for some form of legal protection for DREAMers, but fights over who should be protected, to what level and what should be included in the overall deal has forced Congress to a standstill.

—Eliza Collins

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• Don Quixote
• fantast
• idealist
• idealizer
• ideologue
• idealogue
• romantic
• romanticist
• utopian
• visionary

Examples of dreamer in a Sentence

Noun (1)

I am a realist, but my sister is a dreamer.

Some dreamers talk in their sleep to the people in their dreams.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And with Neptune entering your sign on March 30th, get ready to tap into your inner dreamer. —Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 27 Feb. 2025

These dreamers are still dreaming, but the alarm is going off. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025

Silicon Valley breeds visionary ideas, and with them, communities of dreamers. —Aja Romano, Vox, 24 Feb. 2025

As residents continue to imagine what Altadena’s future could look like after the Eaton fire, and fight to preserve its legacy from mass development, dreamers have begun mapping plans that would pay honor to homes dating back to the past century. —Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate as S.1291 in 2001 but not passed) + -er entry 2, with play on dreamer

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

2004, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dreamer

• beamer
• creamer
• femur
• lemur
• reamer
• schemer
• steamer
• streamer
• redeemer