crave

verb

craved; craving

transitive verb

1
: to ask for earnestly : beg, demand
crave a pardon for neglect
2
a
: to want greatly : need
craves drugs
craves attention
b
: to yearn for
crave a vanished youth

intransitive verb

: to have a strong or inward desire
craves after affection
craver noun
Choose the Right Synonym for crave

desire, wish, want, crave, covet mean to have a longing for.

desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim.

desires to start a new life

wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable.

wishes for permanent world peace

want specifically suggests a felt need or lack.

wants to have a family

crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need.

craves sweets

covet implies strong envious desire.

covets his rise to fame

Examples of crave in a Sentence

Like many celebrities, he craves attention. I was craving french fries, so I pulled into the nearest fast-food restaurant.
Recent Examples on the Web While Camp Verde is only be about 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix during the summer months, the park is blessed with something desert dwellers crave: shade and water. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Cold Stone was founded in Tempe, Arizona, by a couple of ice cream lovers who craved fresh scoops that were neither hard pack nor soft serve. Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Speed dating comes with its own challenges — like talking to strangers — but for people craving more in-person connection, the risk is worth it. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Those craving a bit more variety can make a roughly 20-minute drive south to WinCo or Kroger. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 Those who crave his blend of craft, theater and subversion have largely put his troubled past in the rear view and afforded him the opportunity to continue his career in peace. Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 While some users crave the bare-bones experience of an RSS feed catcher for podcasts, McLendon is eyeing a future where algorithmic discovery and video podcast clips are more central to the user experience. Reece Rogers, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2024 But while humans crave brevity, AI tools are hungry. Lora Kratchounova, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 As for the tres leches cake, my companion was still craving it the next day. The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English crafian; akin to Old Norse krefja to crave, demand

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of crave was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near crave

Cite this Entry

“Crave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crave. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crave

verb
craved; craving
1
: to ask earnestly : beg
crave a person's pardon
2
: to have a strong desire for
crave a glass of water
crave affection

More from Merriam-Webster on crave

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