- A dream about apples is traditionally good when the fruit is red and ripe on a tree among green leaves, and unfavourable when decayed.
- Miller (1901) calls it a very good dream to the majority of people, adding that apples eaten are less good unless faultless, and that decayed apples typify hopeless efforts.
- Psychologists read the apple through its cultural weight: desire, temptation and knowledge from the garden story, but also simple health and reward.
- Freud noted in 1899 that dreams of food can follow hunger or thirst, so an apple dream may be as simple as an appetite.
- Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.
What does it mean to dream about apples?
Dream books read apples as fruit of effort. Red apples on a tree among green foliage are exceedingly propitious, and Miller (1901) calls it a very good dream to the majority. Ripe apples signal that the time has come to realise your hopes, though ripe ones at the very top warn not to aim too high, and apples lying on the ground warn of false friends and flatterers. Eating them is less favourable unless they are faultless, and decayed apples are read as hopeless efforts. Apples are also tied to love, health and knowledge in folk tradition.
Three ways to read a dream about apple
| Reading | Who says it | What the dream is taken to mean | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dream books | Folk tradition, Miller (1901) | Dream books read apples as fruit of effort. Red apples on a tree among green foliage are exceedingly propitious, and Miller (1901) calls it a very good dream to the majority. Ripe apples signal that the time has come to realise your hopes, though ripe ones at the very top warn not to aim too high, and apples lying on the ground warn of false friends and flatterers. Eating them is less favourable unless they are faultless, and decayed apples are read as hopeless efforts. Apples are also tied to love, health and knowledge in folk tradition. | Custom |
| Psychology | Freud, Jung and later authors | The apple carries heavy cultural meaning: the fruit of knowledge and temptation in the garden story, a lover's gift, a symbol of health. A dream apple can therefore stand for desire, a choice that tempts, or simply something good within reach. Freud observed that dreams often represent unmet bodily needs, so an apple dream may follow hunger or thirst. Jung's school would add that a fruit also stands for completeness, the result of long growth. The state of the apple, ripe, sour or rotten, shows how you feel about what you hope for. | Clinical interpretation |
| Sleep research | Sleep laboratories, surveys | Studies of dream content find that food and eating are modest but regular features of dreams, and that hunger and thirst before sleep can shape them; the effect was noted by Freud and has been seen in later studies of fasting. Taste and smell are less often reported in dreams than sight and sound, so a vivid apple dream is notable. Dreams also borrow images from daytime events and memories, so a recent meal, a market, or an orchard visit often explains the choice of fruit. | Measurements and surveys |
Apple in the dream books
What each source says, in its own terms. Dream books are quoted as tradition, not as fact.
This is a very good dream to the majority of people. Red apples on trees with green foliage are exceedingly propitious. To eat them is not as good unless they be faultless. Ripe apples on a tree denote that the time has arrived to realise your hopes; ripe at the top warn you not to aim too high; apples on the ground imply false friends and flatterers; decayed apples typify hopeless efforts.
An apple is the fruit of effort and a gift of love. Red and ripe means success, a green one means something not yet ready, a rotten one means disappointment, and an apple tree in bloom means a hopeful beginning.
Freud observed that dreams can supply food or drink to a sleeper who is hungry or thirsty, and that such convenience dreams are wishes fulfilled in imagination. Not every apple in a dream is symbolic; some are simply appetite.
Apple dream meaning, by variation
The details change the reading.
| In the dream | Traditional reading | Psychological reading |
|---|---|---|
| Red ripe apple | Success and hopes ready to be realised | Satisfaction in what you have grown |
| Green apple | Something not yet ready, patience needed | A plan or desire still developing |
| Eating an apple | Less good unless faultless, per Miller | Taking in something nourishing or tempting |
| Rotten apple | Hopeless efforts and disappointment | A hope or relationship that has spoiled |
| Apple tree | Good fortune and rewards of work | Growth and the long result of effort |
| Apples on the ground | False friends and flatterers, per Miller | Wasted chances, or distrust of easy offers |
| Picking apples | Reaping the reward of effort | Taking an opportunity that is within reach |
| Giving or being given an apple | Love, friendship or a temptation | Offering or accepting something with feeling attached |
When in the night do such dreams happen?
Vivid, story-like dreams happen mostly in REM sleep. REM periods are short early in the night and get longer toward morning, which is why a dream like this is often the last thing before waking.
Spiritual meaning of apple in a dream
Spiritual writers read the apple as a symbol of knowledge, love and the choice between them. It is the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Book of Genesis, though the text names no particular fruit, and apples appear in many myths as prizes and gifts. A dream of a ripe apple is read as a sign that wisdom or love has matured in you; a dream of a bitten or spoiled one as a reminder to weigh what tempts. The central question is what you are being offered.
What in my life is ripe and ready to be taken?
What tempts me that I know I should weigh carefully?
Was the apple fresh or spoiled, and what does that say about what I hope for?
Questions people ask
What does it mean to dream about apples?
Dream books read red, ripe apples on the tree as a very good sign and decayed ones as hopeless effort. Psychology reads the apple as desire, temptation or reward. It may also simply follow hunger, since food dreams often do.
What does it mean to dream about eating an apple?
Miller (1901) says it is less favourable than seeing apples unless they are faultless. Psychologically it describes taking in something nourishing or tempting. A sweet, pleasant apple suggests satisfaction; a sour one suggests reluctance.
What does a red apple mean in a dream?
Miller calls red apples on a tree with green leaves exceedingly propitious. Psychologically a red apple suggests desire met or ripe results. It is a hopeful image, though it does not promise an outcome.
What does a rotten apple mean in a dream?
Traditionally hopeless efforts and disappointment. Psychologically it points to a hope or relationship that has spoiled, or to guilt about something wasted. It is a mood image rather than a prediction.
What does an apple tree mean in a dream?
Dream books read it as good fortune and the reward of work, with ripe fruit meaning the time has come. Psychologically it stands for long-term growth and patience.
Is dreaming about apples a good sign?
Dream books read most apple dreams as good and decayed or fallen ones as cautions. There is no evidence that dreams predict events. An apple dream mostly shows how you feel about your hopes and appetites.
- Miller G. H. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, 1901
- Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899
- Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964
- Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966
- Folk dream books
Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each one comes from. Dream books are quoted as tradition. Last reviewed on the date in the header.