dread

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To feel very anxious or fearful about something that is going to happen or may happen.

   Grammar: Takes an object, a gerund or to-infinitive: dread the exam, dread going.

   Patterns

   • dread something
   • dread doing something
   • dread to think

   I dread the long drive to my in-laws' house.

   She dreaded going back to the dentist.

   Many people dread speaking in public.

2. 2noununcountable

   A strong feeling of fear or worry about something that is going to happen.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable, with of: a dread of heights; with a/an it is singular.

   Patterns

   • dread of something
   • with dread

   He waited for the test results with dread.

   She has a deep dread of flying.

   A sense of dread settled over the town.

Word forms

Common combinations

dread the thought

I dread the thought of another winter.

fill someone with dread

The news filled him with dread.

a sense of dread

A sense of dread grew as night fell.

dread to think

I dread to think what it cost.

dread doing something

I dread calling my landlord.

Synonyms and how they differ

fear

Fear is a general term; dread stresses anxiety about a future event.

fret

Fret means to worry continually, with less sense of horror.

apprehension

Apprehension is milder uneasiness about what may happen.

horror

Horror is a shock at something terrible, often happening now.

Opposites

Word family

dreadful adjective

very bad or unpleasant

dreadfully adverb

extremely; in a terrible way

dreaded adjective

feared by many people

Commonly confused: dread or dread vs dreadful?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dread”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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