What does dread mean in English?

You can learn dread Pronunciation, Grammar & Synonyms in this most authoritative English Dictionary.

dread Meaning, Definition, Pronunciation, Grammar & Synonyms❤️

0 to feel extremely worried or frightened about something that is going to happen or that might happen:
- He's dreading the exam - he's sure he's going to fail.
- [ + -ing verb ] I'm dreading having to meet his parents.
- I dread to think what would happen if he was left to cope on his own.
1 a strong feeling of fear or worry:
- The prospect of working full-time fills me with dread.
- I live in dread of bumping into her in the street.
2 causing fear or worry:
- The dread spectre of civil war looms over the country.
- Every business person fears the dread moment when the laptop fails as they stand up to give a presentation.
- Conversation returned to that dread word, fashion.
3 extreme fear or anxiety about something that is going to happen or might happen:
- a dread of drowning

We are dreading the idea of having my son's friends to stay.
I dread to think what they say about me behind my back.
That night as he dreamed, the warrior was confronted by the enemy he dreaded most.
Although I was absolutely dreading telling Dad, he was actually very understanding when I told him.
What is now happening in the country is what I dreaded most - it is descending into anarchy and civil war.
He developed a virus to battle the dread disease polio.
When the dread news finally came, staff began to weep.
At least nobody uttered the dread words: "Do you know who I am?"