Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

desire

play
verb de·sire \di-ˈzī(-ə)r, dē-\

Definition of desire

desired

;

desiring
  1. transitive verb

  2. 1 :  to long or hope for :  exhibit or feel desire for desire success knew that men still desired her

  3. 2a :  to express a wish for :  request they desire an immediate answerb archaic :  to express a wish to :  ask desired them to reconsider

  4. 3 obsolete :  invite

  5. 4 archaic :  to feel the loss of

  6. intransitive verb

  7. :  to have or feel desire They may come if they so desire.

See desire defined for English-language learners

See desire defined for kids

Explore Merriam-Webster

supreme-court-at-dusk
Trending: SCOTUS: 'Bona Fide' relationships
decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?
image599301899
Pretty in 'Pink'
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Examples of desire in a Sentence

  1. He desired her approval more than anything.

  2. The apartment has modern amenities, a great location—everything you could desire.

  3. She knew that men still desired her.

Origin and Etymology of desire

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

desire Synonyms

Synonyms
ache (for), covet, crave, desiderate, die (for), hanker (for or after), hunger (for), itch (for), jones (for) [slang], long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), salivate (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), want, wish (for), yearn (for), yen (for), set one's heart on
Related Words
spoil (for); adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), like, love, relish, revel (in); favor, prefer; admire, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value
Near Antonyms
abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe; decline, refuse, reject, spurn

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
2

desire

noun de·sire

Definition of desire

  1. 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. 2a :  longing, craving teenagers' desire for independence … the inexpensive homebuilt craft that satisfy many people's desire to fly — James Fallowsb :  sexual urge or appetite

  3. 3 :  a usually formal request or petition for some action at the desire of one fifth of those present — U.S. Constitution

  4. 4 :  something longed or hoped for :  something desired You are my heart's desire.

See desire defined for English-language learners

Examples of desire in a Sentence

  1. Desire is a common theme is music and literature.

  2. The magazine tries to attend to the needs and desires of its readers.

  3. Both sides feel a real desire for peace.

  4. His decisions are guided by his desire for land.

  5. They expressed a desire to go with us.

  6. They have a desire to have children.

  7. a strong desire to travel around the world

  8. He was overcome with desire for her.

Origin and Etymology of desire

see 1desire

desire Synonyms

Synonyms
appetency, appetite, craving, drive, hankering, hunger, itch, jones [slang], letch, longing, lust, passion, pining, thirst, thirstiness, urge, yearning, yen
Related Words
compulsion, impulse, impulsion, will, zeal; liking, love, taste, weakness; eagerness, impatience; want, wish; necessity, need, requirement; obsession; acquisitiveness, avarice, avariciousness, avidity, covetousness, cupidity, greed, greediness, rapaciousness, rapacity; cacoëthes, mania
Near Antonyms
abhorrence, abomination, allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disgust, disinclination, dislike, disliking, distaste, hatred, loathing, nausea, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion; apathy, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern

Other Psychology Terms

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

Phrases Related to DESIRE

Related Phrases

DESIRE Defined for English Language Learners

desire

play
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

1

desire

play
verb de·sire \di-ˈzīr\

Definition of desire for Students

desired

;

desiring

  1. 1 :  to long for :  wish for in earnest Both sides desire peace.

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

2

desire

play
noun de·sire

Definition of desire for Students

  1. 1 :  a strong wish :  longing a desire for companionship

  2. 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

  1. :  to wish for earnestly — see also precatory

Additional Notes on desire

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.

Learn More about desire

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for desire Spanish Central: Translation of desire Nglish: Translation of desire for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of desire for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about desire

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up desire? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

perspicuous

play

clear to the understanding

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bona fide Made in good faith

  2. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  3. zealot A fanatical partisan

  4. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  5. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

desire

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5951697e1a410
When To Use 'Specious' vs. 'Spurious'

These similar words are not interchangeable

alt-594bf2ec5f26e
Quick: Read This!

'Quick' once had a very different meaning

alt-594d2b6325245
'Pride': The Word That Went From Vice to Strength

Do you take pride in Pride?

image599301899
Pink: The Color that Will Change Your Life

From Fuchsia to Baker-Miller Pink

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game
Examples: desire in a Sentence
Tip: Synonym Guide