- The theme actions has 28 symbols in the dream dictionary.
- The most searched symbols of the theme are falling, flying, being shot.
- Every symbol is read three ways: folk dream books, psychology and sleep research.
- The details of the dream, the colour, the behaviour and how you felt, change the reading.
- Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.
What actions mean in a dream
In the 20th century psychology joined the tradition. Sigmund Freud read dreams as the expression of repressed wishes, Carl Gustav Jung as the psyche’s attempt to restore balance. Modern sleep research shows that the content of dreams is shaped largely by the day’s impressions and by sensations in the sleeping body.
If you cannot find the exact word, start from a theme. Inside each theme the symbols are grouped and compared with one another.
Most searched dreams about actions
FallingActionsA dream about falling is traditionally read as a struggle followed by a rise if you are not hurt, and as hardship if you are. Psychology reads falling as loss of control and of support, and research shows it is one of the most common dreams of all, often tied to the body’s own jolt at the edge of sleep.FlyingActionsA dream about flying is traditionally read by the height and the view: flying high and free means ambition and release, flying low and heavy means worry. Psychology reads it as freedom from a weight or a wish to rise above a situation, and research lists flying among the most common and most pleasant typical dreams.Being shotActionsA dream about being shot is traditionally read as a sudden blow from someone you trusted: sharp words, betrayal, a loss that comes without warning. Psychology reads the shot as an attack the dreamer feels defenceless against, and research places being attacked among the most common themes of nightmares.CryingActionsA dream about crying is traditionally read as the opposite of what it shows: dream books say tears in sleep bring relief or joy by day. Psychology reads crying as feeling that has no room in waking life; research adds that waking up in tears is common after stress and grief.Being chasedActionsA dream about being chased is traditionally read as running from a threat or a duty; folk books say the chaser shows where the danger lies. Psychology reads it as avoidance of something the dreamer will not face; research ranks it among the most common dreams in every culture studied.Killing someoneActionsA dream about killing someone is traditionally read by who is killed: Miller says killing a defenceless person means sorrow, killing in defence means victory. Psychology reads it as ending something, not someone; research finds aggression in a large share of dreams.FishingActionsA dream about fishing is traditionally read by the catch: folk books say a full net brings gain and an empty hook disappointment. Psychology reads fishing as drawing something up from the unconscious, an idea, a memory, a feeling; research adds that dreams of patient effort mirror the day’s search.DrawingActionsA dream about drawing is traditionally read as planning: folk books say the dreamer is sketching what they mean to do. Psychology reads drawing as giving shape to an inner image; research adds that people who draw or design by day dream of their craft.Being lostActionsA dream about being lost is traditionally read as a warning that the dreamer has strayed from the right path in some matter. Psychology reads it as uncertainty about a decision or a role, and research counts it among the most common dream themes in the world.
All symbols: actions
BasketballA dream about basketball is traditionally read as competition and teamwork, with scoring meaning success and missing meaning a setback. Psychology reads the game as ambition, cooperation and the fear of failing in front of others, and research shows sports dreams follow the dreamer's waking activities.Being chasedA dream about being chased is traditionally read as running from a threat or a duty; folk books say the chaser shows where the danger lies. Psychology reads it as avoidance of something the dreamer will not face; research ranks it among the most common dreams in every culture studied.Being kidnappedA dream about being kidnapped is traditionally read as losing control of your own affairs to someone else. Psychology treats it as a part of life being taken over, by a person, a job or a fear, and research classes abduction among the threat dreams the brain rehearses.Being killedA dream about being killed is traditionally read by opposites: a long life, or the end of one chapter and the start of another. Psychology reads it as a part of you being overwhelmed or forcibly changed, and research places being killed among the common typical dreams, a product of the mind's threat rehearsal.Being lateA dream about being late is read as pressure and fear of missing out: duties you feel you are neglecting or a chance slipping away. Research counts arriving too late among the typical dreams, and it often follows real deadlines.Being lostA dream about being lost is traditionally read as a warning that the dreamer has strayed from the right path in some matter. Psychology reads it as uncertainty about a decision or a role, and research counts it among the most common dream themes in the world.Being robbedA dream about being robbed is traditionally read as a warning about trust and a loss that, by the old rule of opposites, may turn to gain. Psychology reads it as something taken from you: time, energy, safety or identity. Research places such dreams among common threat rehearsals.Being shotA dream about being shot is traditionally read as a sudden blow from someone you trusted: sharp words, betrayal, a loss that comes without warning. Psychology reads the shot as an attack the dreamer feels defenceless against, and research places being attacked among the most common themes of nightmares.Being stabbedA dream about being stabbed is traditionally read as betrayal: a wound from someone close, words that cut. Psychology reads the knife as intimacy turned hostile, and research places attack dreams among the most common threat scenarios the sleeping brain rehearses.CryingA dream about crying is traditionally read as the opposite of what it shows: dream books say tears in sleep bring relief or joy by day. Psychology reads crying as feeling that has no room in waking life; research adds that waking up in tears is common after stress and grief.DrawingA dream about drawing is traditionally read as planning: folk books say the dreamer is sketching what they mean to do. Psychology reads drawing as giving shape to an inner image; research adds that people who draw or design by day dream of their craft.End of the worldA dream about the end of the world is traditionally read as a great change rather than a catastrophe: the end of one way of living. Psychology reads it as the dreamer's world, a job, a family, a belief, coming to an end, and research links such dreams to stress, the news and major life transitions.Failing an examA dream about failing an exam is read in psychology as a sign of feeling tested or unprepared in waking life, not of real failure. Freud saw examination dreams as reassurance, and research ranks them among the most common typical dreams.FallingA dream about falling is traditionally read as a struggle followed by a rise if you are not hurt, and as hardship if you are. Psychology reads falling as loss of control and of support, and research shows it is one of the most common dreams of all, often tied to the body’s own jolt at the edge of sleep.FightingA dream about fighting is traditionally read as a quarrel on the way, or as a struggle already under way that the dreamer is winning or losing. Psychology reads it as conflict, with another person or within oneself, and research counts aggression among the most common dream interactions.FishingA dream about fishing is traditionally read by the catch: folk books say a full net brings gain and an empty hook disappointment. Psychology reads fishing as drawing something up from the unconscious, an idea, a memory, a feeling; research adds that dreams of patient effort mirror the day’s search.FloatingA dream about floating is traditionally read as victory over obstacles that seemed overwhelming, with clear water a good sign and muddy water a hollow win. Psychology reads it as release, detachment or letting go, and research links it to the brain's body sense in sleep.FlyingA dream about flying is traditionally read by the height and the view: flying high and free means ambition and release, flying low and heavy means worry. Psychology reads it as freedom from a weight or a wish to rise above a situation, and research lists flying among the most common and most pleasant typical dreams.GolfA dream about golf is traditionally read as pleasant leisure and wishes granted, while any unpleasantness on the course means humiliation by a thoughtless person. Psychology reads the game as patience, precision and social standing, and research shows sports in dreams track the dreamer's waking hobbies.Killing someoneA dream about killing someone is traditionally read by who is killed: Miller says killing a defenceless person means sorrow, killing in defence means victory. Psychology reads it as ending something, not someone; research finds aggression in a large share of dreams.NightmaresA dream about nightmares, or a nightmare itself, is traditionally read as a warning of quarrels, failure and slights. Psychology reads nightmares as fear the waking mind has not processed, and research shows they are common, more frequent under stress, and treatable when they recur.ReadingA dream about reading is traditionally read as success in a task that looks hard, and indistinct text as worry or disappointment. Psychology treats it as a search for information or meaning, and sleep research notes that written words in dreams are often unstable.RunningA dream about running is traditionally read by company and outcome: running with others means festivity and growing fortune, running from danger means threatened losses. Psychology reads it as pursuit or flight, and research links slow-motion running to the muscle paralysis of REM sleep.ScreamingDreaming about screaming is traditionally read as pent-up feeling looking for a way out, or as a call for help you have not made while awake. Psychology links it to stress and suppressed anger, and sleep research explains why the scream so often will not come.SwimmingA dream about swimming is traditionally read as moving through your emotions: easy strokes in clear water are a good sign, a struggle in murky water is a warning. Psychology treats water as feeling, and swimming as how you cope with it.Waking upA dream about waking up is traditionally read as a warning to open one's eyes to something overlooked, or as the start of a new stage. Psychology reads the false awakening as a wish for control; sleep research knows it as a common, well-documented phenomenon of REM sleep.WalkingA dream about walking is traditionally read as progress at one's own pace: steady if the road is easy, laboured if it is muddy or uphill. Psychology reads the walk as the dreamer's way through a period of life, and research finds walking the most common movement in dreams of all.WarA dream about war is traditionally read as strife: disorder in business and quarrels at home, or victory and brisk activity if the dreamer's side wins. Psychology reads war as conflict too large for one person, and research shows war dreams rise sharply when war is in the news.
Questions people ask
What does it mean to dream about actions?
It depends on the symbol and the details. Folk dream books give each symbol a fixed reading, psychology asks what this image means to you, and sleep research reminds that dreams rework the day. Open a symbol for all three.
Does the same symbol always mean the same thing?
In dream books, mostly yes. In psychology, no: the same image can mean different things to different people, and your feeling in the dream is the key.
What if my symbol is not here?
Use the search. If nothing comes up, describe the dream in a few words on the search page; the editor reviews suggestions and adds the symbols that people ask for.
Sources
- Miller G. H. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, 1901.
- Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899.
- Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964.
- Artemidorus. Oneirocritica, 2nd century.
- Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966.
- Schredl M. Dream research: an introduction, in various editions.
How this page is made
Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each comes from. A symbol is published only when its page has a full description with sources. Search volumes decide which symbols are written first.