Something you've wanted for a long time has finally come true: joining the Olympic squad was a dream come true for her. From the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary (c) Cambridge University Press, the definition of "dream come true" is "dream come true." It is used to express the feeling of achieving a long-held goal or desire. " The expression comes from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called "Paul Revere's Ride". In this poem, Paul Revere warns people in Massachusetts that the British are going to attack Lexington and Concord with troops led by General William Howe. He says his mission is to "ride again through the night," which means to go on another midnight ride like the one he made two nights ago. When someone asks him where he will go, he replies, "To towns beyond compare / Where dreams come true." This expression may sound familiar to you. It has been used many times before by other poets. Here are some examples: – Oscar Wilde said it in his book The Soul of Man Under Socialism. He was talking about dreams, but we can see how it could also be referring to goals as well. – Langston Hughes used it in his poem "Dream Variations".