Animal Symbols | Dream Symbols

Shark Dream Meaning

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Sharks appear in our dreams to help us better understand what’s going on with our lives. While it might be scary to dream about a shark, understanding what sharks mean in our dreams can help us better discover what our real feelings might be.

shark dream

Most dreams about a shark happen in water. It may be the ocean or an aquarium. It’s important in your dream that you remember water symbolizes your emotions and how you deal with them.

A shark in a dream can represent your fear of being controlled by your emotions. But sharks can also represent an anger that you feel but aren’t showing. This is especially true if the shark is in captivity, like in an aquarium.

Sharks are considered to be one of the most ferocious and deadly creatures on Earth. The fact sharks are so deadly may explain why they appear in our dreams as a symbol for our anger and fears.

What it Means to Dream About a Shark

shark dream meaning

Feelings of Anger

Sharks have been known to help people understand what’s going on behind their behaviors and reactions, in particular with their anger. If you dream about a shark it can be an interesting way to look at your own feelings.

Anger can be a powerful and all consuming emotion. It’s perfectly natural and okay to feel angry in life, but you should be aware of how you’re expressing your anger. Is it a positive way or is your anger harming others?

There are many positive ways to release anger – participating in physical exercise is one of the healthiest ways to work through your anger. Punch a punching bag or go for a run.

If you don’t personally feel mad about something in your life, it could also be that you feel like someone is mad at you. Maybe you said or did something you regret and this dream surfaces as a way to work out your feelings of guilt.

Feelings of Danger and Insecurity

Many dreams about sharks are terrifying and they are often a symbol for how we feel about our own safety and security in the world.

You may be in a physical situation that makes you feel unsafe – an abusive relationship, living in a high crime neighborhood, or working a job that puts you in dangerous situations. In these cases, the dream can be your mind’s way of telling you that you might need to make some changes.

This is also sometimes interpreted to mean that you’re not feeling as safe as you thought you were. You might think everything is great, but there could be unexpected dangers lurking some aspect of your life – someone may not be acting honestly or you may not be aware of all the risks about a decision you are thinking about making.

shark symbol

Deception and Dishonesty

If you’ve ever heard the term “loan shark” this is a saying for a money lender who deals in business in a deceptive and exploitive manner. They don’t have your best interest at heart – they are only concerned with their own profit.

Sometimes a shark will appear in our dreams because someone is not being honest with us. They may be straight up lying or manipulating you. This could be someone you are in a relationship with or even someone you work for or do business with.

You may also dream about a shark when you aren’t being honest with someone or taking advantage of other people. You might have conflicted feelings about whether its wrong to take advantage of others or if you should be able to take whatever you want in life.

Fear of Being Controlled

When a shark attacks, you don’t have much control in the situation. The shark has all the control. Likewise, you may feel like someone in your life is trying to control you. This could be a parent, a partner or even the people you work with.

It can also mean you feel controlled by your emotions. You know how it feels when one little thought can control your whole day? Being controlled by your emotions can be similar to that.

When we allow our emotions to control us, we can get carried away. We might do things we wouldn’t do in normal situations. Ask yourself, do I act differently when I’m angry?

Knowing what sharks mean when you dream about them can be a valuable insight into your own feelings. It’s okay to feel angry, to feel like someone is lying or trying to control you. But the important part is how you deal with these emotions.

great white shark

Feelings of Power

As sharks are quite powerful animals, they can appear in your dreams to symbolize your own feelings of power in a situation.

For example, if you’re able to survive a shark attack or defeat the shark, it is a sign you have what it takes to overcome your fears and the obstacles in your life.

On the other side of the spectrum, the shark may appear because you feel powerless in a situation. Something in your life is outside of your control.

Feeling powerless doesn’t feel good at all – but it’s important we remember someone only has power over us when we give it to them. We all have freewill in life and the ability to stand up for ourselves and make necessary changes to improve our life.

Now that we’ve covered the main themes we see in dreams about sharks, let’s look at some specific examples and our dream interpretation for each scenario that might happen in one of your dreams.

Common Dream Scenarios With Sharks

shark with dinner

Being Bitten by a Shark

If a shark bites you in a dream, it means you may be dealing with a recent incident that involves pain, betrayal or hurt feelings.

The dream could also be a metaphor for someone who is angry with you or wants to hurt you. If you’re being chased by a shark and can’t escape, it may mean someone is tracking down to get revenge on you.

Finally, the dream can mean your own anger has gotten out of hand and it’s hurting you as well as those around you.

Dreaming About a Shark Attack

If you are being attacked by a shark in your dreams, it means that you feel attacked in some way in your current life. You might feel betrayed by a friend or someone in your family. You may be under an unfair amount of pressure from your boss or you have some other recent stressful events in your life.

Also, the dream can mean you are worried about how others perceive you. You might feel like people are attacking you with their words and making hurtful statements or accusations.

Being Eaten By a Shark

If a shark eats you in the dream, it means you are feeling consumed by a painful situation in your life. You feel like something in your life has started to consume you or influence your decisions. You can feel taken over by work, friends, or some other part of your life.

Fighting a Shark in Your Dream

Fighting a shark in your dream means you are willing to face the conflict in your life head-on. This may be because you have a difficult situation in your life that you know is not right, but you want to confront it.

It can also be a metaphor for fighting off the emotions of anger that are attacking you. You may be trying to fight off negative emotions like anger.

You may also have recently gotten in an argument with someone who appears to be more powerful than you. Your dream is your mind’s way of helping to release some of your anger and emotion.

Seeing Sharks in the Water From the Shore

If you are on the shore – a beach or maybe even on a balcony overlooking the water – and you see sharks swimming in the distance, this means you are worried about potential conflict in your life.

You may be avoiding a confrontation with someone or you are worried about a decision you are about to make – this is a sign you need to weigh the pros with the cons and carefully consider the risks.

Being Circled by Sharks

If you are being circled by sharks in your dream, it means that you feel surrounded in your life. You are feeling stuck and the next course of action for what to do next is not clear.

You feel like you have no way to escape or get away from the situation. You may also feel like someone is trying to control what you can and cannot do in your life.

The dream could mean that you are in a relationship with someone who is possessive or controlling over you. You may be making decisions based on what they want rather than what you want.

Baby Sharks

A baby shark in a dream represents your own younger, more vulnerable self. Something about your present life is causing you to revert back to a younger, more susceptible version of yourself.

This may be caused by a recent traumatic event or the pressure of a situation in your life that is affecting you emotionally and mentally. You are no longer acting like the strong person you have become in life.

Seeing a Great White Shark

A great white shark is a symbol to consider whether you feel threatened by your feelings or whether you feel safe. You may feel like someone is not being honest with you.

Great white sharks are considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks in the world. This might be because you feel overwhelmed by your emotions and thoughts and feel like you are not safe in this situation.

You may also feel like without confrontation to these feelings, they will consume you and your life.

The great white shark is a symbol to consider whether you are feeling threatened by your feelings or whether you feel safe. You may feel like someone is not being honest with you.

Dreams About a Tiger Shark

Tiger sharks are considered one of the most dangerous sharks in the world due to how strong and aggressive they can be. If you see a tiger shark in your dream, it may mean you are feeling attacked or hurt by someone who is close to you.

Dream About a Hammerhead Shark

Hammerhead sharks have a uniquely shaped head – and this is important to consider in your dream because you may feel like you are hammering away at something and never seeing results. You may be angry in how you are dealing with something in your life and this anger is blocking you from seeing the problem.

Dreams About Other Sharks

There are thousands of different sharks out there, so you don’t have to worry if you dream about a shark species that isn’t covered here.

The important factor to consider is whether the shark in your dream symbolizes a good or bad experience in your life. Think about the main themes we covered earlier – do any of those resonate with what is currently happening in your life?


Dreams about sharks can be very scary – but they can also be very insightful. To learn more about what your shark dream may mean, consider exploring these additional posts on our website:

Did you have a dream about a shark? Tell us about it in the comments below and what you think your shark dream means!

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One Comment

  1. I had a disturbing dream about a shark last night. It went like this:

    I was swimming in the sea with a friend and we were underwater when all of a sudden we could smell something decaying. We continued swimming and all of a sudden we found this really long intact shark spine (and all the other bones). It stank, so we went to the surface for some clean air, but when we got there we saw a terrifying decapitated shark head bobbing around in the sea in front of us, bleeding. It looked like it had been cut by a sword almost, with one smooth clean cut where the neck would have been.

    What I don’t understand about this dream is why the shark was dead?
    Any theories/suggestions?

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