desire

verb de·sire \ di-ˈzī(-ə)r , dē- \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: desire in a Sentence

Definition of desire

desired; desiring

transitive verb

1 : to long or hope for : exhibit or feel desire for

desire success

knew that men still desired her

2 a : to express a wish for : request

they desire an immediate answer

b archaic : to express a wish to : ask

desired them to reconsider

3 obsolete : invite

4 archaic : to feel the loss of

intransitive verb

: to have or feel desire

They may come if they so desire.

See desire defined for English-language learners

See desire defined for kids

Examples of desire in a Sentence

He desired her approval more than anything.
The apartment has modern amenities, a great location—everything you could desire.
She knew that men still desired her.

Recent Examples of desire from the Web

Contemporary urban fiction often offered character development and plot devices that left quite a bit to be desired.

— refinery29.com, "SuperFly Is A Nostalgic Reintroduction To Urban Fiction," 14 June 2018
Reality: Whether a snake delivers live babies or eggs, their parenting skills leave a lot to be desired.

— shelia poole, ajc, "7 most common myths about snakes," 5 June 2018
And given #MDW’s lack of actual holiday acknowledgment, the typical captioning leaves much to be desired and gets very repetitive, very quickly.

— Vogue, "Is Memorial Day Weekend the Most Obnoxious Holiday on Instagram?," 28 May 2018
That’s not bad for $350, though the 1.1Ghz Intel Pentium processor with Intel HD 505 graphics leaves a bit to be desired.

— ian paul, PCWorld, "Best Buy drops prices on HP and Asus 2-in-1 laptops by $50 and $130," 9 Mar. 2018
For those seeking a wickedly dark little confection, Thoroughbreds should prove a diverting watch; but those looking for anything deeper will find a lot left to be desired.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Thoroughbreds Is a Slick, Shallow Murder Comedy," 9 Mar. 2018
Gennette recognized that some Macy’s stores aren’t up to par and that the chain’s customer service can leave something to be desired.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Macy's Has a New Plan for Growth — Making Its Stores Nicer," 27 Feb. 2018
Add another 2 tablespoons coconut and scallions to each sweet potato, top each with another tablespoon of dressing, or more if desired, and serve at once (remaining dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days).

— adam ried, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipes: Vinaigrettes and dressings to dress up meals," 1 June 2018
The victim became known as Emily Doe and has desired to keep her identity private.

— dan simon, CNN, "Will voters bench the judge who gave a 6-month sentence in the Stanford sexual assault case?," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'desire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of desire

Middle English, from Anglo-French desirer, from Latin desiderare, from de- + sider-, sidus heavenly body

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

desire Synonyms

Phrases

set one's heart on;

Synonym Discussion of desire

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

desire

noun

Definition of desire

1 : conscious impulse (see ²impulse 3) toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment

ridding oneself of all desires

how humans process desire

2 a : longing, craving

teenagers' desire for independence

… the inexpensive homebuilt craft that satisfy many people's desire to fly
—James Fallows

b : sexual urge or appetite

3 : something longed or hoped for : something desired

You are my heart's desire.

4 : a usually formal request or petition for some action

at the desire of one fifth of those present
—U.S. Constitution

See desire defined for English-language learners

Examples of desire in a Sentence

Desire is a common theme is music and literature.
The magazine tries to attend to the needs and desires of its readers.
Both sides feel a real desire for peace.
His decisions are guided by his desire for land.
They expressed a desire to go with us.
They have a desire to have children.
a strong desire to travel around the world
He was overcome with desire for her.

Recent Examples of desire from the Web

The desire to be a good father stumbles into something familiar and filled with remorse.

— mark sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, "Breaking the cycle of absentee fatherhood," 17 June 2018
Her love of history and desire to learn about other cultures encouraged her to travel whenever possible.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Carole James Grayson," 17 June 2018
Melania is a traditional first lady The first explanation lies in Melania Trump’s stated desire to be a traditional first lady.

— brian frederick, Washington Post, "Why Melania Trump isn’t as popular as Laura Bush or Michelle Obama," 15 June 2018
On Wednesday, North Korean state media said Trump had also agreed to the North's desire for a step-by-step disarmament process with corresponding U.S. concessions at each step, rather than immediate disarmament as the U.S. had initially sought.

— Fox News, "Trump-Kim summit raises new questions over South Korean role," 13 June 2018
In Cape Town, though, this desire translated into dictatorial, smug, and detached behavior, a deep distrust, and even rejection, of solutions that came from the public.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Drought In Post-Apartheid Cape Town: An Interview with Eve Fairbanks," 12 June 2018
Will your old college roommate need a detailed itinerary to fulfill her A-type desires?

— olivia martin, Town & Country, "Interior Designer Charlotte Moss Shares Her Secrets to Summer Entertaining," 7 June 2018
This desire to beat Dallas and MLS goes beyond the little brother-big brother analogy that’s often thrown in your faces, primarily because San Antonio is a bigger city than Dallas, albeit one with a second-division soccer team.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Suds and duds: SAFC loses Open Cup match," 6 June 2018
In response to some animal advocates’ desire to ban commercially bred dogs from Naperville pet stores completely, Krummen questioned how city government could do that without proof store owners were dealing directly with puppy mills.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville mayor on proposed pet store regulations: lots of talk, but still no council action," 6 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of desire

see ¹desire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

desire Synonyms

Synonyms

appetency, appetite, craving, drive, hankering, hunger, itch, longing, passion, pining, thirst, thirstiness, urge, yearning, yen;

Near Antonyms

abhorrence, abomination, allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disgust, disinclination, dislike, disliking, distaste, hatred, loathing, nausea, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion;

apathy, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern;

liking, love, taste, weakness;

eagerness, impatience;

want, wish;

necessity, need, requirement;

obsession;

acquisitiveness, avarice, avariciousness, avidity, covetousness, cupidity, greed, greediness, rapaciousness, rapacity;

mania;

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

DESIRE Defined for English Language Learners

desire

verb

Definition of desire for English Language Learners

: to want or wish for (something) : to feel desire for (something)
: to want to have sex with (someone)
: to express a wish for (something)

desire

noun

Definition of desire for English Language Learners

: the feeling of wanting something
: a strong wish : a wish for something or to do something
: a feeling of wanting to have sex with someone

DESIRE Defined for Kids

desire

verb de·sire \ di-ˈzīr \

Definition of desire for Students

desired; desiring

1 : to long for : wish for in earnest

Both sides desire peace.

2 : to express a wish for : request The council desires an immediate response.

Synonym Discussion of desire

desire, wish, and crave mean to want something very much. desire is used when a person has a great feeling for and actually strives to get what is wanted.

- The immigrants desired a better life.

wish is used when a person wants something that he or she has little or no chance of getting.

- He foolishly sat around and wished for wealth.

crave is used for the force of physical or mental needs.

- The hungry dogs craved food.

desire

noun

Definition of desire for Students

1 : a strong wish : longing

a desire for companionship

2 : something longed for

It was his heart's desire to return home.

Law Dictionary

desire

transitive verb de·sire

legal Definition of desire

desired; desiring

: to wish for earnestly — see also precatory

Note: Courts have variously interpreted desire in wills to indicate either a direction of the testator that must be followed or merely an expression of what the testator hoped would happen.