Phrase guide

dream up

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, to invent something unreal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

devise or invent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He thought up a plan to get rich quickly
  • no-one had ever thought of such a clever piece of software

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: think up, think of, hatch, concoct

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: create by mental act, create mentally

Narrower terms: idealize, idealise, fabricate, manufacture, cook up, make up, invent

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: elucubrar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Czech: vysnít si — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Finnish: keksiä — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Finnish: luoda tyhjästä — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • French: imaginer — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • French: inventer — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Galician: figurar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Galician: imaxinar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Galician: inventar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • German: erträumen — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • German: sich ausmalen — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • German: sich ausdenken — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • German: zusammenspinnen — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Norwegian Bokmål: finne på — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Polish: wyśnić — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Polish: zmyślić — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Portuguese: elucubrar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Portuguese: lucubrar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Russian: вы́думать (výdumatʹ) — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Russian: выду́мывать (vydúmyvatʹ) — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal
  • Spanish: elucubrar — have an imaginative, unusual or foolish idea, invent something unreal