144 symbols beginning with M. Each one is read four ways, and every source is named so you can check it.
- Missing A FlightMissing a flight or train in a dream often mirrors a waking worry about lost chances, poor timing, or a fear of being left behind.
- Moving HouseMoving house in a dream often reflects a sense of transition, leaving one stage of life behind and trying to settle into a new one.
- MacheteThe machete is reported as a working tool as often as a weapon, and which one the dream meant is usually clear from the dreamer's hands.
- Machine gunA machine gun in a dream is reported for its sound and its rate rather than its aim, and dreamers often say it was pointed at nothing in particular.
- MachineryMachinery in a dream is usually running when the dreamer arrives, and the reported anxiety is about not knowing how to stop it.
- Mad dogA dog behaving wrongly is reported as more frightening than a large one behaving normally, and dreamers usually describe the eyes.
- MadonnaThe mother and child image is one of the most reproduced pictures in the world, and it turns up in dreams in people with no religion at all.
- MafiaOrganised crime turns up in dreams as an obligation rather than a threat, and dreamers often report owing something to people they cannot identify.
- MagazineA magazine in a dream is usually being flipped rather than read, and dreamers often report a page they cannot find again.
- MagentaMagenta often suggests vivid energy and bold feeling, a hot bright colour between red and purple that rarely passes unnoticed.
- MaggotsMaggots often point to something left too long, and the feeling is usually disgust rather than fear. What they are in tends to matter more than the...
- MagicMagic in a dream often points to a wish for control, sudden change, or hidden ability, and to the parts of life that feel beyond ordinary rules.
- Magic carpetThe flying carpet is reported as a stable dream vehicle rather than a precarious one, and dreamers rarely mention being afraid of falling.
- MagnetA magnet usually stands for attraction or a pull you cannot easily resist, so it helps to ask what was drawing you and whether you welcomed it.
- Magnifying glassThe glass is reported for what it revealed rather than for the object, and dreamers often say the detail was disappointing.
- MagnoliaA magnolia often pictures dignity and old, enduring beauty, a large early blossom long tied to grace, nobility, and a calm strength.
- MagpieA magpie often points to attraction to shiny things, a watchful cleverness, or an old superstition about luck, good or ill, depending on what you see.
- MaidA maid in a dream often represents service, the tending of a household, or feelings about status and being relied upon, rather than a literal servant.
- ManAn unknown man in a dream is one of the more commonly reported figures, and dreamers usually cannot describe his face afterwards.
- MangoA mango often points to lush sweetness, exotic pleasure, and warm abundance.
- ManicureDreams about nails being done are reported for the state of the hands afterwards, and dreamers often say the work was not finished.
- MannequinA shop dummy is reported as unsettling out of all proportion to what it is, and dreamers frequently say they thought it moved.
- MansionA mansion often stands for the fuller self with many rooms to explore, or for wealth, status, and the wish for a grander life.
- MantisThe praying mantis is reported for its stillness, and dreamers usually describe watching it rather than being near it.
- MapA map usually points to your sense of where you are headed and how to get there, so notice whether it was clear, confusing, or led you astray.
- MapleA maple often pictures a settled, generous kind of growth, the strength of a familiar tree and the turning colours that mark a season changing.
- MarathonLong distance running in a dream is reported for the pacing rather than the finish, and dreamers frequently say they had started too late.
- MarigoldA marigold often pictures warmth and remembrance, a bright golden flower long tied to the sun, to honouring the dead, and to homely comfort.
- MaroonMaroon often suggests depth of feeling held in check, a dark muted red tied to richness, restraint, and old strong emotion.
- MascaraMascara in a dream is nearly always reported as running, and the dreamer usually knows they have been crying without remembering it.
- MaskA mask often points to a face you put on or one others wear, whether concealment, a role, or a self hidden behind appearances.
- MassacreDreams of mass killing are reported by people who have witnessed such things and by people who have only watched the news, and the two are not the...
- MasterA master in a dream often represents authority over you, a sense of being controlled or driven, or a demanding part of yourself, rather than a lite...
- MasturbationThis is ordinary, extremely common, and turns up in dreams the way anything else in a life does, which is the whole of the honest answer.
- MazeA maze tends to picture confusion, a search without a clear path, or a problem you are trying to find your way through.
- MeatMeat tends to stand for appetite, strength, and the substance of a thing, and sometimes for what was killed to feed you.
- MechanicA mechanic in a dream often represents fixing what has broken down, tending to how things run, or a problem-solving part of yourself, rather than a...
- MedusaMedusa in a dream often pictures a fear that freezes you, a rage that turns others to stone, or a wounded power you find hard to look at directly.
- MeerkatA meerkat often points to watchfulness, standing guard for your group, or a sharp lookout for trouble before it arrives.
- MenopauseDreaming of menopause or a change of life often reflects feelings about a season ending and a new one beginning, not a literal forecast.
- MermaidA mermaid often blends desire and danger, pointing to deep feeling, a lure that draws you in, or a part of you at home in the unknown.
- Merry-go-roundThe carousel is reported for the going round rather than the ride, and dreamers often say they could not get off.
- MetalMetal in a dream is reported for temperature and weight before appearance, and dreamers frequently mention that it was cold.
- MicrophoneA microphone in a dream is usually dead, and the reported detail is that the dreamer kept speaking anyway.
- MicroscopeA microscope usually stands for close scrutiny and the wish to understand the small and hidden, so it helps to ask what you were trying to examine.
- Midlife CrisisA midlife crisis in a dream often reflects a real stocktaking of where you are, the pull between what was and what might still be.
- MidwifeA midwife often stands for help in bringing something new into being, a guide through a difficult passage, rather than a literal birth.
- MilkMilk often pictures nourishment, early care, and the wish to be looked after or to look after another.
- MillA mill often pictures patient, grinding work and the slow turning of effort into something useful, sometimes the wearing repetition of that labour.
- MillionA million in a dream often points to a number too large to grasp, abundance or excess, a quantity that stands for more than you can ever count.
- Mind readingBeing read, or reading someone else, is reported as a flat fact in dreams rather than as a power, and dreamers rarely find it strange at the time.
- MinisterA minister in a dream is usually mid-sentence, and dreamers often report the tone of the voice without any of the words.
- MinotaurA minotaur in a dream often pictures a hidden fear or rage at the centre of something, a beast kept out of sight that you may need to face.
- MintMint in a dream is reported as a smell before anything else, which is unusual, since smell is one of the rarer dream senses.
- Mint (Color)Mint often suggests freshness, calm, and renewal, a pale cool green tied to cleanness, ease, and a quiet lift of spirits.
- MirrorA mirror usually pictures self-image and identity: how you see yourself, and what you may not want to face.
- MiscarriageA dream of miscarriage is often a way the mind works through loss, fear, or grief, and it does not predict what will happen.
- MissileA missile in a dream is usually seen at a distance and rarely arrives, and dreamers often report watching it with other people.
- MoleA mole often stands for working unseen, slow patient progress, or something taking shape beneath the surface of your awareness.
- MoneyMoney tends to picture self-worth, security, and what you value, more than literal finances.
- MonkeyA monkey often pictures playfulness, mischief, or a restless, clever energy that can amuse you or run away with you.
- MonopolyThe board game turns up in dreams as a family scene rather than a game, and the reported detail is usually who was winning.
- MonsoonA monsoon usually points to a long-awaited release, a flood of feeling or change that arrives all at once after a dry waiting.
- MonsterA monster usually gives shape to a fear, a problem, or a part of yourself that feels too large or frightening to face head on.
- MoonThe moon often pictures mood, intuition, and cycles, the dim and changing side of things.
- MooseA moose often points to quiet dignity, solitary strength, or a steady presence that asks for space and respect.
- MosquitoA mosquito often points to a small drain on your energy, a person or worry that keeps taking a little at a time.
- MossMoss often pictures slow time, quiet covering, and what gathers on things left undisturbed, a soft growth tied to age and stillness.
- MothA moth often points to attraction toward something risky, a drive toward light, or a quiet, hidden change.
- MotherA mother figure usually reflects care, security, and origin, and your real relationship with all three.
- MotorcycleA motorcycle often pictures freedom mixed with risk, fast forward motion that is exposed and largely in your own hands.
- MountainA mountain often pictures a challenge, an aspiration, or a vantage point, the height to be climbed and the view it promises.
- MouseA mouse often points to a small worry or a part of yourself that feels timid, easily overlooked, or quietly nibbling at the edges of things.
- MouthA mouth often stands for speech, appetite, and what you take in or let out, whether words, hunger, or what goes unsaid.
- Moving backwardsWalking, driving or being carried backwards is reported as a distinct sensation rather than as an event, and dreamers often say they could not turn...
- MudMud often pictures feeling stuck or soiled, a messy situation that clings to you, though wet earth can also mean the raw stuff of growth.
- MummyA mummy in a dream often pictures the past preserved and unburied, an old hurt or memory that will not decay, or something kept long after its time.
- MurderDreams of killing or being killed are reported far more often than people expect, and they are not a sign that anyone intends anything.
- MurdererA murderer often stands for a force that feels destructive, an ending, or a part of yourself you fear, rather than a literal threat or prediction o...
- MusclesMuscles often point to strength, capability, and effort, the power you can bring to bear, and sometimes to a worry about whether you are strong eno...
- MuseumA museum often stands for memory, the past preserved, and the wish to keep and understand what has shaped you.
- MushroomA mushroom often stands for something that appears suddenly from hidden growth, fruitful or risky, since the same form can nourish or poison.
- MusicDreamers report music more often than they can reproduce it, and the common experience is waking certain that something was playing and unable to h...
- MusicianA musician often stands for harmony, self-expression, or a feeling that asks to be voiced, rather than a literal performance.
- MustardMustard turns up in dreams as a taste and a colour at once, and dreamers who report it usually report the sharpness.
- ManureWaste that is the most valuable thing on a farm, and one of the few substances people have gone to court over the ownership of.
- MarbleLimestone that has been cooked and crushed until it recrystallises, which is why it takes a polish no ordinary stone will hold.
- MastThe tallest thing on a ship and the first thing seen coming over the horizon, which made it the whole of a coastal town's news service.
- MatA small piece of floor put down to take the dirt, and the only object in a house whose whole job is to be walked on.
- Mineral waterWater sold on the strength of what is dissolved in it, which is the entire basis of an industry and of several towns.
- MousetrapA device that has to be set against its own spring, so the most dangerous moment for the person is before anything is caught.
- MuffA tube of fur worn on both hands at once, which means anybody using one has deliberately given up the use of their hands.
- MulberryA fruit that stains everything and cannot be sold, so the only way to eat one is to know somebody with a tree.
- MyrtleAn evergreen carried in royal wedding bouquets from a single bush, so that every one has come from the same plant since 1858.
- MauveThe first synthetic dye, discovered by accident by an eighteen-year-old trying to make quinine, and the colour that started an industry.
- MicrowaveAn oven that heats water rather than air, which is why it makes bread rubbery and cannot brown anything.
- MonkSomebody who has removed most of the choices from their own day on purpose, in an arrangement that has outlasted every empire it began under.
- Muddy waterWater you cannot see into, which is a different fear from deep water and a much more common one.
- MilestoneA stone that tells you how far you have come and how far is left, which is more information than most journeys offer.
- ManticoreA man-faced beast that eats people whole and leaves nothing, so that the missing are never confirmed dead.
- MercyThe decision not to do the harm you are entitled to do, which requires the entitlement to be real first.
- MoatWater dug around a building to keep people out, which also means the household chose to live surrounded by the thing that drowns.
- MoorHigh open ground with no cover, where the danger is exposure and distance rather than anything living on it.
- MasonA worker in stone, whose mistakes are permanent and whose good work is expected to outlast every name involved.
- MoonstoneA stone whose sheen floats across the surface as it is tilted, so what you see depends entirely on where you are standing.
- MicaA mineral that splits into sheets thin enough to see through, and which was used as window glass and in stove doors because it does not crack in heat.
- MalachiteA green copper mineral banded in rings, which forms where copper ore is weathering, so finding it means there is metal underneath.
- MinaretA tower built to carry a voice, whose height is a matter of how far sound travels rather than of how far you can see.
- MayflyAn insect that lives a year or more in the water and then emerges with no working mouth, because it will not need to eat again.
- MidgeA biting fly small enough to pass through most netting, which arrives in numbers that have altered where people are willing to go.
- MackerelA fish patterned in wavy bars, whose name is given to a sky of small rippled clouds that means weather is coming.
- ManateeA slow aquatic mammal that grazes on water plants and is the likeliest origin of a great many mermaid sightings.
- MolarA back tooth built for grinding rather than cutting, with roots that go deep because of the force it has to take.
- MoonriseThe moon coming up, which happens later each night and is the reason it turns up in daylight as often as in the dark.
- MilletA small grain that has fed more people over more of history than wheat, and that most of Europe now treats as birdseed.
- MolassesThe thick dark syrup left when sugar is refined out of cane, which is the part that was not wanted and turned out to be useful.
- MacaqueA monkey that lives further north than any other and has learned in some places to sit in hot springs through the winter.
- MandrillThe most vividly coloured mammal there is, with a face patterned in blue and red that brightens with rank.
- MartenA slender tree-climbing predator whose return to a wood changes what else can live there.
- MarlinA large ocean fish with a spear for a bill, which it uses to stun rather than to spear anything.
- MinnowA small river fish whose name is the standard word for something too small to be taken seriously.
- MulletA fish that feeds on what settles on the bottom, and whose name is far better known as a haircut.
- MillinerA maker of hats, whose trade is named after the city its goods came from rather than after anything it does.
- MuslinA cotton so fine it was said you could pass a whole length of it through a ring, and whose trade was deliberately destroyed.
- MandolinA small instrument with paired strings, played in a rapid tremolo because a single note dies almost at once.
- MaracasA pair of gourds with seeds inside, where the sound depends on stopping the shake at exactly the right moment.
- MorassWet ground that will not hold weight, and a word that has largely stopped meaning a place at all.
- MangroveA tree that grows in salt water on stilts, filtering out the salt and holding a coastline together with its roots.
- MarjoramA herb constantly mistaken for oregano, to which it is closely related and from which it differs by being milder and more easily lost in cooking.
- MarimbaA set of wooden bars over tuned resonators, where the tube under each bar does as much for the sound as the bar itself.
- MimosaA plant whose leaves fold shut within a second of being touched, and reopen some minutes later once nothing more happens.
- MortgageA dead pledge, which is what the word means, because the arrangement dies either when it is paid or when it is not.
- MitreA tall cleft hat worn by a bishop, whose split shape has been explained in several ways and satisfactorily by none.
- MonstranceA vessel made to display rather than to contain, whose name comes straight from the word for showing.
- MenorahA seven-branched lampstand, whose appearance is known partly from a carving of it being carried away as loot.
- MinbarA stepped pulpit in a mosque, where the top step is customarily left empty and the speaker stands one below it.
- Mourning ringA ring given out at a funeral, often containing hair of the person who died, so the dead were worn by the living.
- MangleTwo rollers turned by hand to squeeze water from washing, and one of the commonest causes of injury in a Victorian home.
- MusketA smoothbore gun so inaccurate that hitting a particular person was not the aim, and firing together was the entire method.
- MarblesSmall glass spheres, and a game whose first move is always the negotiation about whether you are playing for keeps.
- MarionetteA puppet worked from above on strings, where the operator stands in full view and the audience agrees not to look up.
- MidnightThe hour that belongs to neither day, because the date changes inside it and nothing else does.
- ManuscriptSomething written by hand, which is what the word says, and which is now used for typed work by everybody including the people who know that.
- MurmurSpeech too quiet to make out and loud enough to know it is happening, which is the most reliably unsettling sound there is.