Did you wake from a dream where you were killing someone? Some dreams are creepy, and some are a little scary, but nothing is more terrifying than waking from a dream about murdering someone. What does it mean if you dream about killing someone?
Dreaming about killing someone does not mean you want to kill someone in real life. People who dream of killing aren’t all sociopaths. When you dream of pink elephants, does it mean you saw one at the zoo? Of course not. We interpret dreams in many ways, but few should be interpreted at face value.
It’s tough to interpret a dream about murder without providing a few details about the dream. So I’ll ask you a few questions to consider before proceeding.
- Who were you trying to kill in your dream? Was it a stranger, a boss, a friend, or a loved one?
- What weapon did you use? Did you stab someone with a knife, shoot someone with a gun, or use another weapon?
- Was the murder an accident? Did the act of killing occur in self-defense, or did you plan to kill the person in your dream?
The answers to these questions dramatically change the interpretation. Think carefully about your dream and do your best to answer the questions above. Then dig into the dream interpretations below.
Dream of Murder
If you dream of murder, it may mean you are going through difficult times. Your subconscious mind is asking you to pay attention to signs of aggression in yourself and others. We see this aggression reflected in dreams as murder and killing.
Dreams of murder may signal you need time to reflect on the anger swelling inside you, but dreams about killing aren’t always about feelings of violence and rage.
Remember that killing someone in a dream doesn’t mean you want to kill someone in real life. The interpretations of dreams require us to evaluate the people, symbols, and actions we see while we sleep.
These dreams may be trying to tell you that you are holding on to repressed anger, but they may focus your attention on more positive aspects of your life, like doing everything in your power to be successful or taking control over your life.
What Does it Mean to Dream About Killing Someone You Know in Real Life?
If you dream of killing someone from your waking life, think about your relationship with this person. Have you recently experienced an altercation or disagreement with them? Perhaps they’ve angered you, humiliated you, or hurt your feelings.
This dream shows you need to talk to a friend, family member, therapist, or psychologist about your feelings. You’re having this dream because you need to address the pain straight on rather than hiding your emotions or pretending you are alright.
Dreams of hurting someone can appear if you struggle to express your negative emotions. All the built-up rage and anger can find a form of expression in your dreams.
Does the person you know exhibit negative behaviors that you would like to cut out of your life? Perhaps they complain incessantly, gossip, or mistreat you. When we dream of killing someone, we often dream of destroying the negative influences or annoying behaviors we struggle to tolerate in our waking lives.
What Does it Mean if You Kill a Stranger in Your Dream?
Despite popular belief, a dream about killing a stranger does not mean you struggle with aggressive tendencies. Instead, killing a man you don’t know often symbolizes the desire to stop a bad habit. As strange as it may sound, strangers in dreams often reflect our characteristics, actions, and traits.
A dream about killing a stranger doesn’t mean you want to kill yourself. It means you want to end a problem you see in yourself. It’s time to come to terms with the traits you’d like to improve. Do you want to stop eating junk food or start exercising? Are you bothered that you spend so much idle time mindlessly watching television? Killing someone you don’t know can be a wake-up call to improve your life.
In this case, killing a stranger in a dream may represent a part of yourself that you wish to change. Do you find yourself dwelling on worrying ideas or complaining to others? Sometimes we want to kill off the negative thoughts that swirl in our heads and the stuff that pops in and out of our consciousness throughout the day when we have a quiet minute to reflect.
This dream may indicate a season of change and a desire to do more with your life.
What Does it Mean if You Dream About Killing Someone You Love?
When you dream of killing someone you love, it often means you are experiencing distress in your relationship. The act of killing someone you love may show a deep-rooted desire to end a relationship with someone who isn’t good for you.
When you kill someone you love, you aren’t killing the person; you are destroying the relationship that keeps you bound to one another. This dream signifies the desire to address your struggles or end a relationship altogether.
Sometimes we struggle to end relationships that aren’t good for us and cling to the hope that things will improve, but death in a dream may be a metaphor to sever the ties that bind us. If you dream of killing someone you love, it’s time to explore the strength of your relationship.
Have you recently experienced a misunderstanding or argument with someone you love? Can you face the issues and reach out to one another for support and guidance, or is it time to move on peacefully?
Killing a loved one can be a very distressing dream. It is normal to feel shaken when woken by such aggressive dreams, and this dream may make you feel rattled for days.
What Does it Mean if You Dream About Killing Your Parent?
When we think about killing someone we love, we typically think of lovers or spouses, but what if you dream of killing your parent? What if you wake from a dream where you killed your mother or father?
If you have a contentious relationship with your parents, this can be a sign that it’s time to seek help to address your childhood traumas and heal from the wounds of your past.
If you get along well with your mom and dad, the dream may indicate the desire to change a common characteristic you and your parents share. For example, what if your parents’ impulsivity leads them to financial trouble? What if you share that same impulsive nature and struggle to manage your money? A dream of killing your parent can demonstrate your desire to kill off a trait you share.
These dreams do not typically represent the desire to harm someone in your family physically. In fact, they indicate the opposite. These dreams represent the desire to forge closer bonds and improve ourselves due to those deeper connections.
Killing your sister or brother in a dream is a sign to forgive past transgressions and heal the pain. Communication is the key to repairing broken relationships so you can get along with them better in the future.
What Does it Mean to Dream About Killing Someone with a Knife?
When we dream about killing someone with a knife, it means we dreamt of stabbing someone to death. In dreams, knives represent separation, and knives indicate the desire to sever a connection to an influence that impedes your personal growth or prevents you from living your best life.
Again, this dream does not mean you want to kill someone with a knife. It means you want to eliminate the negativity of toxic influences or those holding you back.
Are you trying to get rid of something that weighs on you? Are you feeling guilty or remorseful for something you’ve done? This dream is a metaphor to sever the regret.
What Does It Mean to Dream About Killing Someone in Self-Defense?
If you dream about killing someone in self-defense, you may be unable to speak up. Are you afraid to tell people who you are or how you feel? Do you find yourself staying quiet in social situations where you want to speak your mind but worry about what others will think about you when you do?
A self-defense dream can also indicate feeling attacked. Maybe your friends were ganging up on you, a parent accused you of wrongdoing, or a coworker tried to backstab you at work. These events can present themselves as dreams in which you must defend yourself.
If you’re trying to defend yourself, you may be worried about your safety in real life. These could be financial concerns, relationship concerns, or even concerns about losing your job or being unable to pay the rent. Can you take action to mitigate your fears?
What Does it Mean to Dream About Killing Someone in a Car Accident?
Dreaming of killing someone in a car accident or killing someone accidentally could be a sign that you are acting dangerously in real life. Have you recently gotten into the car after drinking and driving? Do you text while driving or find yourself distracted in other ways?
Have you started hanging out with the wrong crowd or dabbled in drinking or drugs? Do you feel dangerous influences are negatively swaying your life?
Accidentally killing people may signal that your life is out of control. Rather than acting with intention and insight, you are performing risky or harmful behaviors that might send you down the wrong path.
Dreaming of an accident is a wake-up call to search for positive influences and reminds you to avoid mistakes that could harm you or others around you.
What Does it Mean to Dream about Killing Someone with a Sword?
If you dream of killing someone with a sword, you feel in control of your destiny or charge of your life—samurais and trained military members use this weapon only when necessary.
If you kill someone with a sword, you feel mighty and can defend yourself against those who might verbally attack you.
What Does it Mean to Dream about Killing Someone with a Gun?
If you dream about killing someone with a gun, you feel confident about your choices in life. Shooting someone with a gun is a surefire way to kill them. While there are other weapons and means of hurting someone, many gunshots are fatal.
So choosing to fire a gun in a dream is a sign that you are determined to meet your goals. Unless you are Neo from Matrix, you cannot stop a bullet once it’s fired, and you can’t stop a bullet once it’s in motion.
A bullet severs the ties to someone, and killing someone with a gun may be a desire to sever a relationship or friendship.
Of course, guns are dangerous weapons that require training. Choosing to fire a gun in a dream may signify that you are flirting with risky decisions in real life. Perhaps you are being influenced by friends who want you to dabble in dangerous behaviors or feel tempted to act in ways that might be harmful to you.
This dream is trying to alert you to the danger of steadfast decisions and the importance of staying on a moral path.
Killing Someone and Hiding the Body?
What if you dream about killing someone and hiding the body? This common dream indicates the desire to cover up something in real life. Perhaps you aren’t being honest about how you feel or don’t know how to express your feelings to someone you care about.
Trying to hide a body is a metaphor for something you are hiding from others or a problem you don’t want others to discover. Burying the body signifies that you don’t want others to know the truth.
Killing Someone and Feeling Guilty?
Guilt is the emotion that keeps us grounded and often helps us do the right things rather than take the wrong course. If you dream about hurting someone and feel guilty about it, you may feel bad about the pain you caused someone in real life. Any reason for guilt can show itself as guilt in your dream.
Guilt often induces a feeling of anxiety and worry. If you dream of guilt, you are probably replaying an adverse event repeatedly in your mind, which eventually reappears in your dream.
Killing Someone and Going to Jail?
If you dream about killing someone and going to jail, you may feel punished for something you’ve done. Maybe you’ve said something hurtful to someone or did something you regret.
When you dream of killing someone and going to jail, it’s a sign that you believe you should receive punishment for your errors. Deep down, you feel upset by a wrong you’ve caused and wish to rectify your mistake so you can do your time to get past this.
Dream Interpretation
As you can see, dreaming of killing someone doesn’t mean you want to hurt someone in real life. If you do feel rage or anger you cannot control, it’s time to seek help from a licensed psychologist or therapist.