thirst

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that induces this sensation
b
: a desire or need to drink
2
: an ardent desire : craving, longing
a thirst for success

thirst

2 of 2

verb

thirsted; thirsting; thirsts

intransitive verb

1
: to feel thirsty : suffer thirst
2
: to crave vehemently and urgently
thirsted for revenge
thirsting
after justice
thirster noun
Choose the Right Synonym for thirst

long, yearn, hanker, pine, hunger, thirst mean to have a strong desire for something.

long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own
thirsted for power

Examples of thirst in a Sentence

Noun his thirst for knowledge is evident in his book-filled house an unquenchable thirst for travel that has led her to the far corners of the globe
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Equipped with the latest gear and a thirst for adventure, mountaineers embrace the perils that come with conquering the world’s highest peaks. Brian Strickland, Discover Magazine, 9 Mar. 2024 Lax regulation and the thirst for outsized profits led to a railroad boom in the 1840s in the U.K. that saw some towns connected by multiple private lines which competed for customers. Will Daniel, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Curiosity is having an insatiable thirst for knowledge that takes you down multiple rabbit holes in a search for an answer (or more information). Allbusiness, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The desert cactus margarita made with reposado tequila, agave organic nectar, pear and sweet and sour and served in a souvenir cactus mug promises to quench thirsts. Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 19 Feb. 2024 And oh, yes, local beer breweries such as UNION Craft and Peabody Heights breweries will be there to slake the folks’ collective thirst. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2024 This year's hot portable product, the Stanley cup, isn't just good at quenching your thirst on the go. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 Men typically require more fluids than women due to larger average body size, and older adults may need to pay more attention to hydration due to a decreased sense of thirst. Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 This student body courageously represents what could be the drive of many HBCUs across the county: a thirst to fight back. Monica Clarke, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
Many thirsted over him on social media: The smoldering stare. David Oliver, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 While Red, White & Royal Blue is Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Henry's (Nicholas Galitzine) love story, viewers have als been thirsting after the film's villain — journalist Miguel Ramos, played by Juan Castano. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2023 Advertisement The brewery’s three beers — West Coast IPA, Hazy Citrus IPA and Mexican Lager — are aimed at craft beer fans who thirst for a healthy lifestyle. Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024 The Bear and The Icon Claw star Jeremy Allen White's Calvin Klein campaign dropped on January 4, basically setting the internet aflame as fans thirsted over his sculpted physique and tousled curls. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 5 Jan. 2024 The move comes, again, as the Lakers have thirsted for some kind of consistency, a quest that’s been undone by injuries and an ongoing search for five Lakers that can consistently play with positive results. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Her View co-hosts had plenty to say, though, thirsting after the former football tight end, who played in the NFL for 17 seasons and currently works as a football analyst on Prime Video. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 2 Jan. 2024 Tennis fans were thirsting for a Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. Sean Gregory, Time, 9 Sep. 2023 Arguing Over Restaurant Choices and Cheese After their trainer David arrived, Ubah immediately began thirsting over him, even gently falling into his muscly arms. Henry Chandonnet, Peoplemag, 31 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thirst.' 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

Noun

Middle English þurst, þrust, þirst, þrist, going back to Old English þurst, going back to Germanic *þurstu- (whence also West Frisian toarst "thirst," Old Saxon thurst, Old High German thurst, durst, beside an n-stem in Old Norse þorsti "thirst," Gothic þaurstei), going back to Indo-European *tr̥s-t- (whence also Old Irish tart "dryness, drought, thirst"), nominal derivative from a verbal base *ters- "dry up, become thirsty," whence Gothic gaþaursana "withered" (accusative plural participle, from a strong verb *gaþairsan "to wither," if not from gaþaursnan "to dry up, wither"), Greek térsomai, térsesthai "to become dry, dry up"; also from a present-tense formation *tr̥s-i̯e-, Old English þyrred "dried out," Gothic þaursjan "to be thirsty," Sanskrit tṛṣyati "(s/he) is thirsty"; from a causative *tors-éi̯e- Old High German derren "to make dry," Old Norse þerra, Latin torreō, torrēre "to heat so as to dry, scorch, parch, (of food) roast, bake," Sanskrit tarṣáyati "(s/he) makes thirsty," Hittite taršant- "drying"

Note: The noun thirst has lost etymological -u- in favor of the -i- spelling of the verb. Variation between -u- and -i- is already evident in Middle English, at a time when the vowels would still generally have been distinguished, along with metathetic variants with the vowel following r. The spelling thurst is not infrequent in the seventeenth century, though Samuel Johnson's dictionary (1755) only acknowledges thirst.

Verb

Middle English þirsten, þristen, thrusten "to suffer from thirst, be thirsty (in impersonal me thirsteth "I am thirsty"), going back to Old English þyrstan, going back to Germanic *þurstjan- (whence also Old Saxon thurstian "to be thirsty," Old High German thursten, dursten, Old Norse þyrsta), verbal derivative of *þurstu- "thirst" — more at thirst entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near thirst

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

thirst

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat that accompanies a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that causes thirst
b
: a strong desire to drink
2
: a strong desire : craving
a thirst for fame

thirst

2 of 2 verb
1
: to feel thirsty
2
: to have a strong desire : crave

Medical Definition

thirst

noun
: a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that induces this sensation

More from Merriam-Webster on thirst

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