dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

DREAD definition: 1. to feel extremely worried or frightened about something that is going to happen or that might…. Learn more.

DREAD definition: to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension of. See examples of dread used in a sentence.

Dread is a feeling of great anxiety and fear about something that may happen. She thought with dread of the cold winters to come.

Dread is a feeling of fear, but it can also be the desire to avoid something. For example, many people feel dread at the very thought of speaking in front of an audience.

1. Causing terror or fear: a dread disease. See Usage Note below. 2. Inspiring awe: the dread presence of the headmaster.

to be very reluctant to experience: [~ + object] I dread the thought of arriving late. [~ + verb-ing] I dreaded coming in late to meetings.[~ + to + think] I dread to think what will happen next.

Dec 14, 2025 · dread (third-person singular simple present dreads, present participle dreading, simple past and past participle dreaded) (transitive) To fear greatly. I'm dreading getting the …

He can't swim and dreads going in the water. She dreaded making speeches in front of large audiences. I dread the day I will have to leave my friends.

Definition of dread verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.