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dread

v. · n. · adj.
US //ˈdɹɛd// UK //dɹˈɛd// dread
  1. 1 to fear the future (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to feel extremely worried or unhappy about something that will happen in the future.

    to anticipate with great apprehension or anxiety. Transitive, taking a noun phrase or gerund as an object.

    Example

    I dread the long commute to work every Monday morning.

    Example

    Many employees dread the annual performance reviews, fearing that any minor criticism might jeopardise their chances for a promotion.
    Pitfall
    I dread to going to the dentist.
    I dread going to the dentist.

    The verb 'dread' is followed by a gerund (-ing form), not an infinitive with 'to'.

  2. 2 to style hair (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    to twist hair into long, rope-like pieces called dreadlocks.

    to style hair into dreadlocks. Often used in the passive voice or as a participle.

    Example

    He decided to dread his hair over the summer break.

    Example

    She spent several hours at the salon having her hair dreaded into neat, uniform sections.

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  1. 3 a feeling of fear (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a strong feeling of fear or worry about something bad that may happen.

    a state of intense apprehension or anticipatory terror regarding a future event.

    Example

    She was filled with dread as she opened the envelope containing her exam results.

    Example

    A sense of cold dread settled over the village as the dark clouds gathered, signalling the arrival of the predicted storm.
  2. 4 dreadlocks (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Slang

    a single rope-like piece of hair; a dreadlock.

    a single lock of hair styled as a dreadlock. Usually used in the plural.

    Example

    He cut off one of his dreads to see how it would look.

    Example

    The musician was known for his floor-length dreads, which he had been growing for over a decade.
    • locs
  3. 5 terrible or feared (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary Formal

    causing great fear or being very serious.

    inspiring great fear or awe; often used in formal or literary contexts to describe something formidable.

    Example

    The king had to make a dread decision that would affect the whole country.

    Example

    The explorers were warned about the dread silence of the desert, where the lack of sound could drive a person to madness.
Etymology 1

From Middle English dreden, from Old English drǣdan (“to fear, dread”), aphetic form of ondrǣdan (“to fear, dread”), from Proto-West Germanic *andarādan, equivalent to Old English and- + rǣdan (whence read); corresponding to an aphesis of earlier adread. Akin to Old Saxon antdrādan, andrādan (“to fear, dread”), Old High German intrātan (“to fear”), Middle High German entrāten (“to fear, dread, frighten”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English drede, dred, from the verb (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian drēd, drēde (“fear, dread”).

Etymology 3

From Middle English drede, dredde, dradde, ydreddyd (“feared, dreaded, honoured”), past participle of Middle English dreden (“to fear, dread”). See above.

Word family

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