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Dream dictionary

Dream dictionary: dream meanings from A to Z

Updated

A dream dictionary lists the images people dream about and what dream traditions have said about them. This one has 107 symbols. Each entry reports what named old dream books wrote — Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862), Miller's 1901 dictionary — then what psychologists notice. Search it below, or browse by letter or category.

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Dream symbols A–Z

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Every symbol page

Dreams about a car crash: what they meanCar crash dreams: being the driver, walking away, witnessing a crash, being thrown from the car, and what Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel said of collisions. Dreams about a corpse: what they meanCorpse dreams in the Meiji Japanese dream books, the Zhou Gong list and Miller (1901): finding a body, hiding one, a stranger's corpse, a corpse that moves. Dreams about a dead loved one: what they meanDreams of a dead loved one in Artemidorus and Miller (1901): when they talk to you, seem alive, give or take something, a kiss or hug, tears, a ghost. Dreams about a flood: what they meanFlood dreams in the Golden Wheel (1862), Miller (1901) and Artemidorus: a flood in your house, being swept away, clear or muddy water, higher ground. Dreams about a funeral: what they meanFuneral dreams in the Meiji Japanese dream books, the Zhou Gong list and Miller (1901): your own funeral, a parent's, a stranger's, crying at one. Dreams about a shrine: what they meanDreams about praying at a shrine, walking through a torii gate, a shrine wedding, a temple or a god: what the Meiji dream books, the Zhougong and Miller (1901) read. Dreams about a tsunami: what they meanWhat a tsunami dream means: a giant wave, the sea pulling back, wave after wave, running from it, being swept away and surviving. The old books have no tsunami. Dreams about a wedding dress: what they meanWedding dress dreams in Miller's 1901 dream dictionary: wearing a wedding dress, not finding it, a torn or stained dress, a bridal veil, a dress alone. Dreams about airplanes: what they meanAirplane dreams, from Miller's 1901 "flying machine" to the modern scenes: a plane crash, turbulence, a plane that won't fly, a missed flight, a safe landing. Dreams about an old house: what they meanOld-house dreams in Miller's 1901 dream dictionary: an old house in ruins, your childhood home, an old house still standing, rooms that have changed. Dreams about babies: what they meanBaby dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: a crying baby, holding or breastfeeding a baby, a sick or lost baby, a girl or a boy. Dreams about bears: what they meanBear dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): a bear attacking or chasing you, killing a bear, a white polar bear, a calm bear, a cub. Dreams about bees: what they meanBee dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) and Artemidorus: a bee sting, a swarm, bees attacking, a beehive, honey, killing a bee. Dreams about being arrested: what they meanDreams of being arrested by police, wrongly accused, caught after running, or of family arrested: what Miller, the Meiji and Chinese dream books read. Dreams about being attacked: what they meanBeing attacked in a dream by a stranger or an animal, running away, or a family member attacked: what the old dream books said, and the psychology. Dreams about being bullied: what they meanDreams of being bullied at school, by a stranger or an old bully, or of your child bullied: what Meiji, Chinese and Western dream books read, and why. Dreams about being chased: what they meanChase dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: chased by an animal, a monster, a ghost, the devil or the police, and escaping. Dreams about being killed: what they meanBeing killed or almost killed in a dream, by a stranger or family, running away, coming back to life: what old Chinese, Japanese and Western dream books said. Dreams about being late: what they meanDreams about being late: for a flight, a train or bus that leaves without you, your own wedding, school or an exam, and being held up again and again. Dreams about being lost: what they meanBeing-lost dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): lost in a forest, a maze, snow or an open plain; separated from someone; finding your way. Dreams about being naked: what they meanNaked dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: naked in public, at work, searching for clothes, undressing, seeing others naked. Dreams about being pregnant: what they meanPregnancy dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: when you're not, a man pregnant, a single woman, someone else, giving birth. Dreams about being scolded: what they meanDreams of being scolded by a parent, boss, teacher or stranger, and of getting angry yourself: what Meiji, Chinese and Western dream books read. Dreams about being shot: what they meanBeing shot in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): dying from the shot, being wounded, hearing gunshots, a shooter you knew, a shot that missed. Dreams about being stabbed: what they meanBeing stabbed in a dream, with a knife, by a stranger, in the back or without pain: what old Japanese, Chinese and Western dream books said, and the psychology. Dreams about being stalked: what they meanDreams of being stalked: what the old dream books offer (Miller's detective and spies, the Meiji Japanese books' thieves), a stranger, an ex, being followed, being the stalker. Dreams about birds: what they meanBird dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): birds flying, birdsong, birds fighting or attacking, a nest, a caged or wounded bird. Dreams about blood: what they meanBlood dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): your own bleeding, a nosebleed, blood on your clothes or hands, vomiting blood. Dreams about breaking up: what they meanBreakup dreams in the old books: a broken mirror, a split hairpin and a lost wheel in Meiji and Chinese dream books, Miller's parting (1901), and psychology. Dreams about burglars: what they meanBurglar and thief dreams in old dream books: a break-in, catching the thief, being attacked, being the thief yourself, things stolen. Miller (1901), the Meiji Japanese books, Zhougong, and the psychology. Dreams about buses: what they meanBus dreams in Miller's 1901 dream dictionary and the old Asian dream books: riding a bus, missing the bus, a bus to an unknown place, a bus crash. Dreams about cars: what they meanCar dreams in Miller's 1901 dream dictionary and today: brakes failing, not being the driver, a car that won't start, a stolen car, losing your car. Dreams about cats: what they meanCat dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): a cat attacking or scratching you, meowing, a black or white cat, a kitten, killing a cat, a dead cat. Dreams about celebrities: what they meanDreams about meeting, talking to or dating a celebrity, or becoming famous: what Miller (1901), the Zhougong dream book and the Meiji books read, and the psychology. Dreams about centipedes: what they meanCentipede dreams in the old dream books: a bite as long life in Zhougong, a lost salary in a 1908 Japanese book, wicked people for Artemidorus, the psychology. Dreams about cheating on your partner: what they meanDreams where you cheat: an affair, a stranger, getting caught. What Miller (1901), a Meiji Japanese dream book and the Zhougong list read, plus the psychology. Dreams about cockroaches: what they meanCockroach dreams in old dream books: a weak enemy for Nablusi, no entry in Miller (1901) or the Meiji books, a lotto number in Naples, and the psychology. Dreams about crocodiles and alligators: what they meanCrocodile and alligator dreams in Artemidorus and Miller (1901): a crocodile attacking you, escaping it, killing it, stepping on its back, still water. Dreams about crows: what they meanCrow dreams in the old dream books: misfortune for Miller (1901), lawsuits and dutiful chicks in Meiji Japan, a feast in Zhougong, and the psychology. Dreams about crying: what they meanCrying in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): crying over someone who died, someone else crying, hearing crying, sobbing, a crying child. Dreams about death: what they meanDeath dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): your own death, someone else dying, a funeral, a grave, being buried alive. Dreams about divorce: what they meanDivorce dreams in the old books: Miller's 1901 entry, the Meiji mirror that shows a stranger, the Chinese couple who fight and make up, and the psychology. Dreams about dogs: what they meanDog dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): a dog biting or attacking you, barking, a friendly dog, black and white dogs, puppies. Dreams about drowning: what they meanDrowning dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: the ocean, reaching shore, being rescued, saving someone, a partner. Dreams about earthquakes: what they meanEarthquake dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): collapsing buildings, your house shaking, surviving, being buried, watching it. Dreams about eggs: what they meanEgg dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862): finding a nest of eggs, eating eggs, broken eggs, rotten eggs, a crate of eggs, bird eggs. Dreams about elevators: what they meanElevator dreams in Miller's 1901 dream dictionary and the old Asian dream books: an elevator falling, being stuck, going up, an elevator that won't stop. Dreams about escaping: what they meanEscape dreams in Miller (1901), the Meiji Japanese dream books and the Zhougong list: hiding, getting away, escaping with someone, failing to escape, and the psychology. Dreams about exams and failing tests: what they meanExam dreams: being unprepared, not finding the room, failing or passing, and dreaming you're back at school years later, with the old books' school readings. Dreams about falling: what they meanFalling dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: falling from a height, off a cliff, into an abyss, waking as you fall, stumbling. Dreams about fighting: what they meanFight and argument dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) and Artemidorus: fighting with a partner, family, a friend or a stranger, a fistfight, winning, losing. Dreams about fire: what they meanFire dreams in Miller (1901), Artemidorus and the Golden Wheel (1862): your house on fire, putting out a fire, getting burned, a huge blaze, smoke. Dreams about fish: what they meanFish dreams in the Golden Wheel (1862), Miller (1901) and Artemidorus: catching fish, eating fish, many fish, small fish, a goldfish, dead or rotten fish. Dreams about flying: what they meanFlying dreams in Artemidorus and Miller (1901): not being able to stay in the air, flying too high or low, with wings, falling mid-flight, over water. Dreams about frogs: what they meanFrog and toad dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) and Artemidorus: a big frog, many frogs, croaking, catching or killing a frog. Dreams about ghosts: what they meanDreams about being chased by a ghost, a ghost in the house, the ghost of someone you know, or talking to one: what Miller (1901), the Meiji books and the Zhougong read. Dreams about giving birth: what they meanDreams of giving birth in the old dream books: Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel, Artemidorus, the Meiji Japanese books and Zhou Gong on boy, girl, twins, labour. Dreams about gold: what they meanGold dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: finding gold, losing gold, being given gold, a gold mine, turning into gold. Dreams about graduation: what they meanGraduation dreams in old dream books: leaving school read as no good sign in the Meiji Japanese books, school and college in Miller (1901), and the psychology. Dreams about graves and cemeteries: what they meanGraves and cemeteries in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862): a cemetery, an open or empty grave, digging a grave, your own grave, tombstones. Dreams about hair falling out: what they meanHair-loss dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): hair falling out in clumps, thinning, going bald, cutting it, combing, grey hair. Dreams about horses: what they meanHorse dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: riding, a horse bolting, falling off, a white, black or brown horse, a dead horse. Dreams about houses: what they meanHouse dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): a house on fire, falling apart, not finding home, a basement, new rooms, moving. Dreams about insects and bugs: what they meanInsect dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862): bugs crawling on you, insects in the house, killing insects, a sting, ants, flies, worms. Dreams about keys: what they meanKey dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: losing your keys, finding a key, a broken key, unlocking a door, a keyhole. Dreams about killing someone: what they meanKilling dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: killing in self-defence, a stranger, an animal, a murder, seeing someone killed. Dreams about kissing: what they meanKissing dreams in the old dream books: Miller's detailed 1901 entry, the embrace in Meiji Japan and the Zhougong list, and the psychology of closeness. Dreams about lice: what they meanLice dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: lice in your hair, on your body, on someone else, many lice, killing or combing them. Dreams about lions: what they meanLion dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): a lion attacking or chasing you, a roaring or tame lion, riding one, a cub, a lioness. Dreams about money: what they meanMoney dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): finding money, losing money, stealing it, being given money, counting money, coins, a full wallet. Dreams about moving house: what they meanMoving house dreams in old dream books: poverty for the Golden Wheel, hasty news for Miller, a far journey in a Meiji Japanese book, a new house for Zhou Gong. Dreams about owls: what they meanOwls in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: an owl hooting, an owl flying, an owl in the house, a dead owl, an owl seen by day. Dreams about phones: what they meanPhone dreams, from Miller's 1901 telephone entry to today: getting a call, talking, a bad line, no one answering, an unknown voice, a broken or lost phone. Dreams about pigs: what they meanPig dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) and Artemidorus: a big fat pig, a thin pig, piglets, a pig in the mud, feeding pigs, eating pork. Dreams about poop: what they meanPoop dreams in Artemidorus and Miller (1901): does it mean money, poop in the house or bed, on your clothes, stepping in it, dung thrown at you, manure. Dreams about rain: what they meanRain dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) and Artemidorus: heavy rain, gentle rain, getting wet, a leaking roof, rain on the window, a rainbow. Dreams about rainbows: what they meanRainbow dreams in old dream books: seeing a rainbow, a red or a dark rainbow, a double rainbow, a rainbow fading, and what psychologists notice. Dreams about rats: what they meanRat dreams in the Golden Wheel (1862), Miller (1901) and Artemidorus: rats in the house, many rats, a rat biting you, gnawing, killing, catching or trapping. Dreams about rivers: what they meanRiver dreams in the old dream books: crossing by boat or bridge, falling in, clear and muddy water, floods, swimming, a dried-up river, and the psychology. Dreams about scorpions: what they meanScorpion dreams in Miller (1901) and Artemidorus: false friends and wicked people, killing a scorpion, being stung, many scorpions, a scorpion in your house. Dreams about shoes: what they meanShoe dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862): new shoes, old or worn-out shoes, dirty shoes, losing your shoes, stolen shoes, slippers. Dreams about snakes: what they meanSnake dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): a snake bite, an attack, killing a snake, a huge snake, many snakes, snakes in water. Dreams about snow: what they meanSnow dreams in old dream books: snow falling, a snowy landscape, slipping on a snowy road, being snowed in, snow melting, and what psychologists notice. Dreams about someone confessing their love: what they meanLove confession dreams, from your crush, a stranger or you, in the old books: Miller's accepted lover (1901), the Meiji Milky Way crossing, and the psychology. Dreams about someone dying: what they meanDreams of a parent, friend, partner or child dying in Miller (1901), the Meiji Japanese dream books and the Zhou Gong list, and what psychologists hear in them. Dreams about spiders: what they meanSpider dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: a spider biting you, a web, killing a spider, a huge spider, many spiders, a tarantula. Dreams about storms: what they meanStorm dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: a storm coming, thunder, lightning, being struck, heavy rain, shelter, a storm at sea. Dreams about strangers: what they meanDreams about strangers in old dream books: Miller (1901), the Meiji Japanese dream books, a stranger at the door, an attractive stranger, one who keeps coming back, and the psychology. Dreams about taking a bath: what they meanBath dreams in old dream books: taking a bath, a hot spring, dirty or cold water, bathing in front of others, a broken bath. Miller (1901), the Meiji Japanese books, Zhougong, and the psychology. Dreams about teeth falling out: what they meanTeeth dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): all your teeth at once, one tooth, a tooth in your hand, loose, rotten and painless. Dreams about the sea: what they meanSea dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: a calm sea, a stormy sea, a shipwreck, sailing, swimming, watching waves from shore. Dreams about thunder: what they meanThunder dreams in old books: hearing thunder, being struck by lightning, being scared by it, lightning hitting your house, silent flashes, and the psychology. Dreams about tigers: what they meanTiger dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): a tiger attacking or chasing you, a tiger running away, a caged tiger, a tiger-skin rug. Dreams about toilets: what they meanToilet dreams in Artemidorus, Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): searching for a toilet, a toilet with no door, urinating, wetting the bed. Dreams about tornadoes: what they meanTornado dreams in Miller (1901) and Artemidorus: a tornado coming toward you, caught in one, hitting your house, running or hiding, the calm after. Dreams about trains: what they meanTrain dreams in Miller's 1901 dream dictionary and the Meiji dream books: missing the train, riding past your stop, a crowded carriage, a crash, an unknown station. Dreams about turtles: what they meanTurtle and tortoise dreams: what Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) read, and the modern reading of a big turtle, a baby turtle, a bite, a turtle swimming. Dreams about war: what they meanWar dreams in Miller (1901), the Meiji Japanese dream books and the Zhougong list: war breaking out, fleeing a war, air raids, going to war, dying in war, and the psychology. Dreams about water: what they meanWater dreams in Miller (1901), Artemidorus and the Golden Wheel (1862): clear water, muddy water, water in the house, swimming, falling in, crossing. Dreams about weddings: what they meanWedding dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: your own wedding, a partner marrying another, a ring, a guest's view, black. Dreams about wolves: what they meanWolf dreams in Artemidorus, the Golden Wheel (1862) and Miller (1901): a wolf chasing you, attacking you, howling in the night, and killing a wolf. Dreams about your crush: what they meanCrush dreams in the old dream books: Miller's 1901 sweetheart readings, a Meiji Japanese line on meeting the one you long for, and the psychology of longing. Dreams about your ex: what they meanWhat dreams about your ex mean: getting back together, arguing, your ex with someone new, an ex in the background, and what Miller (1901) said of divorce. Dreams about your late father: what they meanLate-father dreams in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862): talking with him, hugging him, seeing him die, his ghost, a father at peace or turned away. Dreams about your late mother: what they meanDreams of a late mother in Miller (1901) and the Golden Wheel (1862), and today: her hug, talking with her, hearing her call, her tears, her ghost. Dreams about your partner cheating: what they meanCheating dreams in Miller (1901), the Golden Wheel (1862) and Artemidorus: catching your partner, cheating yourself, a rival, jealousy, divorce. Dreams about zombies: what they meanWhat zombie dreams mean: being chased by zombies, fighting them, a zombie apocalypse, someone you love turning, and Artemidorus on the dead rising.

How dream interpretation works on this site

Every symbol page is written from named sources. The tradition section reports what specific old dream books said — Artemidorus's Oneirocritica (2nd century), the Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) and Gustavus Miller's dream dictionary (1901) for the English pages — with the book named in the same sentence as its reading.

Other languages are not translations. The German, Polish, Turkish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese editions are each written from that culture's own dream books, so the same symbol can carry a different reading in another language — that difference is part of the content.

No page predicts anything. Where an old book called a dream an omen, we report that the book said so; we don't read dreams that way ourselves. The psychology section describes what psychologists notice about a dream image; it is not a diagnosis.

no dream foretells the future

Common questions

What is a dream dictionary?

A dream dictionary is a list of dream images with the meanings dream traditions gave them. Ours has 107 symbols. Each reading is attributed to a named source — an old dream book or a psychologist's view — rather than stated as fact, and none is a prediction.

Which dream dictionary is the most accurate?

No dream dictionary can be accurate about your future, because dreams don't predict it. A useful one tells you where a meaning comes from. Every reading here names its book, and different traditions are shown side by side when they disagree.

How do I find what my dream means?

Search the main image of your dream above — the animal, person, place or event. If the dream had several images, paste the whole dream into the symbol finder, which links every symbol it recognises. Then ask what the image means in your own life right now.

Is this dream dictionary free?

Yes. The dictionary and the symbol finder are free, need no account, and run in your browser. Dreamlock, the iPhone dream journal from the same team, has a free tier and an optional paid plan.