A fight or quarrel in a dream is read in reverse in many folk lists: the person you fight with in the dream is someone you are said to grow closer to, or a dispute that is about to settle. That is the tradition's belief, not a prediction about any relationship. The Hindi search is sapne mein ladai jhagda dekhna.
The quarrel dream in tradition
An old Hindi saying goes, "where there are four pots, they are bound to clatter." Quarrels were accepted as part of family life, and so was making up. Perhaps that is why folk belief read a dream quarrel in reverse: the anger is spent in sleep, so there will be affection by day. The Puranas sort dreams broadly into auspicious and inauspicious, and scenes of violence mostly fall on the inauspicious side, but many folk lists link winning a fight with victory over opponents and success in a dispute or case. The lists, in other words, do not agree.
Who you fought, and how
| What you saw | Folk reading |
|---|---|
| A quarrel between husband and wife | Love growing between you |
| Fighting with parents or siblings | An old matter being settled |
| Fighting with a friend | A friendship deepening, a misunderstanding cleared |
| A physical fight with a stranger | Struggling with stress or outside pressure |
| Winning a fight | Overcoming a difficulty or a rival |
| Watching others fight | A reminder to stay out of a nearby dispute |
| Breaking up a fight | You will bring people together, it is said |
What psychology says
Sleep research shows that REM sleep reprocesses the day's strong emotions: anger, humiliation, irritation. What you could not say to someone may come out loudly in a dream. So a dream fight is mostly a picture of held-back annoyance or fatigue, not a forecast about that person. Revonsuo's threat simulation theory adds that the brain rehearses confrontations in dreams. An argument you witnessed, a serial or the news can also bring on the dream.
After you wake
If you fought with someone close in the dream, there is no need to be cold to them in the morning — they have no idea what happened in your sleep. Better to ask whether something between you has been left unsaid, and to say it calmly when you get the chance.
Read next
See crying in a dream, blood in a dream and relatives in a dream, or the full list of dream meanings.