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dress
dread·ful·ly /'drɛdfəli/ adv infml extremely; used before
words with unpleasant meanings: I'm dreadfully sorry. | She
looks dreadfully tired.
dread·locks /'drɛdlɒks||-'lɑːks/ n [P] a hairstyle consisting
of thick lengths of twisted hair, often worn by male RASTA-
FARIANS or by young people who consider it to be a fashion-
able style: a young Rasta man with dreadlocks
dread·nought /'drɛdnɔt/ n a type of BATTLESHIP used at
the beginning of the 20th century
dream¹ /driːm/ n 1 a group of related thoughts, images, or
feelings experienced during sleep: I had a strange dream
about my mother last night. 2 a group of thoughts, images, or
feelings like these, experienced when the mind is not com-
pletely under conscious control; DAYDREAM 3 [C usually sing.] a
state of mind in which one does not pay much attention to
the real world: John lives in a dream. 4 something that one
thinks about and hopes for; ASPIRATION: It was his dream to
sail his boat around the world. | The band's record was
successful beyond their wildest dreams. (=more successful
than they had hoped or expected) | Meeting the princess was
(like) a dream come true. 5 infml a very beautiful, excellent,
or enjoyable thing or person: Their new house is a real
dream. | The car goes like a dream. 6 I have a dream ... quote
a phrase that was repeated several times in a speech by
Martin Luther King, in which he expressed his hopes for the
future of African-American people → see also Martin Luther
KING 7 the ... of sb's dreams the type of person or thing
someone imagines, when they think about who or what
they like most: You're not going to find the job of your dreams
by going to the job centre, Michael. | The film is a romantic
comedy about an architect who builds a house for the woman
of his dreams. 8 in your dreams spoken said when you think
something that someone is hoping for is not likely to
happen: 'Can I borrow your car tonight?' 'In your dreams,
buddy.' | 'I think Monica would go out with me.' 'In your
dreams.'
dream² v dreamed or dreamt /drɛmt/ [I(of, about); T+obj/
(that)] 1 to have (a dream) (about something): Do you dream
at night? | 'What did you dream about?' 'I dreamt (that) I was
flying to the moon.' 2 to imagine (something): I never said
that! You must have been dreaming/You must have dreamt
it! | I never dreamt that such a thing could happen! 3 not
dream of infml not consider; not be able to, especially for
moral reasons: I wouldn't dream of letting the children do
that! 4 dream on! spoken said when you think something
that someone is hoping for is not likely to happen: 'We could
open our own restaurant if we had a little money.' 'Yeah,
dream on!' | 'The computers should be up tomorrow, right?'
'Dream on, honey – we don't even have the part yet.'
dream sthg. ↔ away phr v [T] to spend (time) in dreaming
or inactivity: to dream away the hours
dream sthg. ↔ up phr v [T] slang, often derog to invent
(especially something unusual or silly): They can always
dream up some new excuse for the train arriving late.
dream·boat /'driːmbəʊt/ n slang a very attractive person of
the opposite sex
dream·er /'driːmə/ n 1 a person who dreams 2 a person
who has impractical ideas or plans 3 a person who is not
very good at what they are doing because they are always
thinking about something else
dream·ing /'driːmɪŋ/ also dream·time /'driːmtam/ n [U]
the time, according to old Australian Aborigine stories, when
the first ANCESTORS were created
dreaming 'spires n [P] quote a phrase from a poem by
Matthew Arnold, which people use to suggest the beauty of
Oxford, the English university town
dream·land /'driːmlænd/ n 1 [C;U] a beautiful and happy
place that exists only in one's imagination → compare
NEVER-NEVER LAND 2 sleep: He's off to dreamland.
dream·less /'driːmləs/ adj (of sleep) without dreams; peace-
ful → -ly adv
dream·like /'driːmlaɪk/ adj as in a dream; unreal
dreamt /drɛmt/ past participle of DREAM
'dream ,ticket n [C usually S] a perfect combination of two
people, especially in an election
'Dream Works trademark a US film and television company,
based in Los Angeles and started in 1994 by Steven SPIELBERG
and others
'dream world n a world of impractical or unreal ideas. People
are often said to live in a dream world if they have hopes or
expectations which are unlikely to come true: If you think
there won't be any more wars, you're living in a dream world.
dream·y /'driːmi/ adj 1 (of a person) living more in the
imagination than in the real world 2 peaceful and beauti-
ful; not clear, sharp, or exact: soft dreamy music | The misty
scene had a dreamy quality about it. 3 slang wonderful; desir-
able; beautiful: Isn't that dress dreamy! —ily adv —iness n
[U]
drear /drɪə/ adj poet dreary
dreary /'drɪəri/ adj 1 sad or cheerless; GLOOMY: a dreary
November day, cold and without sunshine 2 infml dull; unin-
teresting: Addressing envelopes is dreary work. —ily adv
—iness n [U]
dreck /drɛk/ n [U] AmE slang something that is of very bad
quality: The music of the 70s was no worse than the dreck of
previous decades.
dredge¹ /drɛdʒ/ v [;T(for)] to use a dredger in, on, or for
(something): They are dredging (the lake) for the dead body. |
Can we dredge the harbour to make it deeper?
dredge sthg. ↔ up phr v [T] 1 to bring to the surface of
water, especially using a dredger 2 infml to bring to notice
(something unpleasant from the past that has been forgot-
ten about): to dredge up an old quarrel/an old scandal
dredge² v [T] to cover (food) lightly by scattering (some-
thing powdery) over it: to dredge a fish with flour | cakes
dredged in icing sugar → see SPREAD (USAGE)
dredg·er /'drɛdʒə/ also dredge n a machine or ship used
for digging or sucking up mud and sand from the bottom of
a river etc
Dred Scott Case, the /ˌdrɛd 'skɒt kəːs||-'skɑːt-/ also
the Dred 'Scott De,cision an important decision
made by the US Supreme Court in 1857 against a man called
Dred Scott. Scott was a SLAVE who wanted a court to decide
that he should be a free man because his owner had taken
him to live in states where SLAVERY was illegal. The Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court decided, however, that because
Scott was black he could never become a citizen of the US
and so he did not have the right to begin a legal case. The
Chief Justice also stated that Congress must not prevent any
state from having SLAVERY.
CULTURAL NOTE These decisions made many people
extremely angry, especially the ABOLITIONISTS (=people
who wanted to end slavery and make it illegal) and
members of Congress. The Dred Scott Case is
considered to be one of the main causes of the American
Civil War.
Dreft /drɛft/ trademark a type of washing powder, which is
used especially for washing clothes made of wool and silk
dregs /drɛgz/ n [P] small pieces of solid material that sink to
the bottom of a liquid and are thrown away: coffee dregs |
(fig.) Murderers and drug dealers are the dregs (=most worth-
less part) of society. → compare LEES
Drei·ser, The·o·dore /'draɪsə, 'θi:ədɔː/ (1871–1945) a US
writer who wrote Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy
drench /drɛntʃ/ v [T(to, with) often pass.] to make (usually
people, animals, or clothes) thoroughly wet: I went out
without my umbrella and got drenched to the skin | a drench-
ing rain | drenched in/with sweat → see also SUNDRENCHED
Dres·den /'drɛzdən/ 1 a city in the east of Germany which
was badly bombed in World War II. 2 fine china (=delicate
plates, cups etc made from baked clay) that used to be made
in Dresden
dress¹ /drɛs/ v 1 [I;T] to put clothes on (oneself or someone
else): I'll be ready in a moment; I'm just dressing/getting
dressed. | Could you dress the baby for me? → see
USAGE 2 [I;T often pass.; not in progressive forms] to provide
(oneself or someone else) with clothes of the stated type:
She dresses well on very little money. | He was neatly/
informally/immaculately dressed. | an old lady dressed in
black | They were dressed in their Sunday best. (=best
clothes) | She went to the party dressed as a nun. 3 [I] to put