Dreaming of killing someone
Meaning and interpretation
What does dreaming of killing someone mean?
Dreaming of killing someone is unsettling, but it reveals no real desire for violence. It most often reflects pent-up anger, a need to end a situation, or a wish to be done with a part of yourself: a habit, a role, a relationship. Who it was and what you felt afterward steer the reading.
What it's often linked to
Held-back anger. Frustration you don't express by day, coming out in extreme form at night.
The end of something. Killing, in a dream, often means closing: a relationship, a job, a chapter.
A part of you. The person killed may stand for a trait of yours you want gone.
Depending on what happens in the dream
Killing a stranger
Diffuse anger, or an inner transformation without a specific target.
Killing someone close
A conflict or dependence you'd like to cut off, not an actual wish.
Killing in self-defense
A need to protect yourself, to set firm limits.
Hiding a body
Guilt, or a secret you're afraid will come out.
Feeling relieved afterward
Relief at ending a situation that weighed on you.
Questions to ask yourself when you wake up
A dream's meaning lives in your own context, not in a dictionary. These three questions get you there faster.
- 1
Who or what are you angry at right now?
- 2
What would you like to see end in your life?
- 3
How did you feel afterward: guilty, relieved, indifferent?
A dream predicts nothing and diagnoses nothing. If a distressing dream keeps coming back and weighs on your days, talk to a health professional.
