From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdreaddread1 /dred/ ●○○ verb [transitive]WORRIED to feel anxious or worried about something that is going to happen or may happen I’ve got an interview tomorrow and I’m dreading it.dread doing something I’m dreading going back to work.dread somebody doing something Tim dreaded his parents finding out.dread (that) I’m dreading that I’ll be asked to make a speech.dread the thought/prospect of (doing) something He dreaded the prospect of being all alone in that house. I dread to think what will happen if they get elected (=I think it will be very bad).→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
dread• It prefers a rich, moist but well drained soil and dreads a dry windy site.• They avoided talking about Miss Poole or Heather and dreaded going to the weekly dinner parties.• I have to go to the dentist's tomorrow, and I'm dreading it.• I had expected her to want to come back to the hotel with me and I was dreading it.• The Wilsons were coming back from holiday today, and I was dreading telling them what had happened while they were away.• The icy weather had citrus growers dreading the effects of frost.• He spat a bit as he spoke and Carrie dreaded the moment when she would have to shake hands and be spat at.• She will dread the thought of that final parting, which must come in time.I dread to think• What we will do next Season I dread to think.• What will happen when you publish on Sundays as well, I dread to think.• The children were playing in the room and they could have found it and I dread to think what may have happened.• I dread to think what might happen if he gets elected.• But without Debbie's determination and your article, I dread to think what might have happened.dreaddread2 noun [singular, uncountable]FRIGHTENED a strong fear of something that is going to happen or may happendread of (doing) something the dread of losing those we lovewith dread Bernice looked with dread at the end of the passage. The prospect of flying filled me with dread. She lives in dread of (=is continuously very afraid of) the disease returning.Examples from the Corpus
dread• A dread of black male sexuality remains.• At the time I was worn out, still reacting no doubt from living for years on end in fear and dread.• Humphrey backed up Dulles, not least because of his dread of excessive government spending.• You, with your midair dread, blindly bunched into that swinging house you call a home.• But the nameless dreads did not stop.• After a very short time we all felt a horrible feeling of being watched and an intangible atmosphere of dread and doom.• The cold hand of dread clutched Larsen's guts.• I felt a sense of dread as I walked into the interview.filled ... with dread• It accompanied her to bed at night and filled her dreams with dread and her sleep with sudden awakenings.• The prospect of entering the world of naturism filled me with dread.• The state of the suspension filled him with dread and he avoided thinking about it.• These things filled me with dread and horror.• His voice was filled with dread and fear and heavy weights.• My friends were filled with dread for the time when they would play my part in this ritual of passing.Origin dread1 Old English drædan 