desire
verb
dē-\
Definition of desire
(Entry 1 of 2)
desire
nounDefinition of desire (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for desire
Synonyms: Verb
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)
Synonyms: Noun
appetency, appetite, craving, drive, hankering, hunger, itch, jones [slang], letch, longing, lust, passion, pining, thirst, thirstiness, urge, yearning, yen
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Examples of desire in a Sentence
Verb
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.Noun
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 on the Web: Verb
The PlayStation Classic's quality of emulation left something to be desired. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Our favorite (and least favorite) tech of 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 And yet, the expected flower arrangement or bottle of wine can leave something to be desired. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "The 11 Best Beauty Gifts for Your Thanksgiving Host," 20 Nov. 2018 Regarded as one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA, the former Celtic leaves a bit to be desired on the shooting end of things (his .366 career mark is three points lower than what Covington shot from deep last season). — David Murphy, Philly.com, "LeBron James or not, Sixers will have to fill these two needs | David Murphy," 6 June 2018 This means you'll—at last—have the ability to watch Carrie whack Mr. Big with a wedding bouquet as many times as your heart desires. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Coming to Netflix in November 2018: Be Thankful These 97 Titles Are Coming to Your Queue," 29 Oct. 2018 Decorate the outer sleeve of the box with paint, cut-out letters and paper as desired. — Lara Sorokanich, Popular Mechanics, "4 Great Halloween Costumes From the PM Archives," 11 Oct. 2018 As the name implies, the First Tracks van is built to chase snow in the winter, while other custom builds focus on whatever activity your heart desires. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "7 van conversion companies that can build your dream camper," 24 Sep. 2018 Add vanilla or other flavoring (and gel food coloring if desired), and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. — Alison Roman, The Seattle Times, "‘We are all connected by cookies’: A tribe with a bond stronger than royal icing," 12 Dec. 2018 Yes, in his early 20s, Tarek hustled hard enough to move not just out of his mother's garage and into an apartment, but to wherever his heart desired (within the casual $1 mil range, that is). — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Everything You Need To Know On How Flip Or Flop Came To Be, According To Tarek El Moussa," 24 Aug. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Plenty of designers and brands tapping into those dueling desires. — Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, "This Shapeshifting Clock Changes Design As It Approaches Noon," 9 Jan. 2019 Well, this desire makes sense from a biological standpoint. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Why Do Couples Hold Hands?," 4 Jan. 2019 There's a key moment that Jemison has talked about in interviews and in her own book about how one of her school teachers dismissed Jemison's desire to be an astronaut. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Without question, these are 2018’s best space books for kids," 29 Dec. 2018 Gritty, for whatever reason, speaks to the desire to have a loud voice fighting on the side of those who demand a larger piece of the pie. — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, "Gritty’s evolution from googly-eyed hockey mascot to meme to leftist avatar, explained," 24 Dec. 2018 Perhaps the desire to invest in climate action will spur changes that solve a host of other urban problems. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "As cities confront climate change, is density the answer?," 11 Dec. 2018 According to an international industry research report, that desire has turned into dollars: the anti-aging market was worth $215 billion in 2016, and it's predicted to become a $331 billion empire by 2021. — Amy Capetta, Woman's Day, "5 Anti-Aging Supplements That May Actually Work," 16 Oct. 2018 In the past decade, there’s been an obvious shift in the hospitality industry–the desire for a unique and local experience among travelers has increased drastically–and services are adapting. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Three San Diego Bungalows Are Transformed Into Vibrant, History-Filled Getaways," 3 Oct. 2018 The arrival of Thanksgiving brings that unshakeable desire to curl up by a fire with some hot cocoa and get lost in feel-good holiday programming. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "The Best Holiday Specials and Movies Airing on TV This Thanksgiving," 18 Nov. 2018These 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.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
The Fault (and Words) in Your Stars
The Fault (and Words) in Your Stars
Words that were written in the cosmos
Dictionary Entries near desire
Statistics for desire
Last Updated
17 Jan 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for desire
The first known use of desire was in the 13th century
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More Definitions for desire
desire
verb
English Language Learners Definition of desire
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of desire (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
See the full definition for desire in the English Language Learners Dictionary
desire
verb
\
Kids Definition of desire
(Entry 1 of 2)
desire
nounKids Definition of desire (Entry 2 of 2)
desire
transitive verbLegal Definition of desire
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.
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