hanker

verb

han·​ker ˈhaŋ-kər 

hankered; hankering ˈhaŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to have a strong or persistent desire : yearn

—often used with for or after

hankerer

ˈhaŋ-kər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• 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)

Choose the Right Synonym for hanker

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 hanker in a Sentence

By the middle of the winter, they were hankering for a warm day.

Recent Examples on the Web

Oatmeal is typically eaten as a sweet breakfast in the US, but taking a savory route can be a creative way to switch things up if your palate is hankering for something new and exciting. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 27 Mar. 2025

Blood flowing into test tubes does not hanker for an audience. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025

Never hankering for the ideal or the perfect, Nikolai, in the end, achieves something essential: human possibility. —Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024

Customers hankering for Krispy Kreme doughnuts can got to the company website to find a nearby grocery or convenience store that receives deliveries. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from Dutch dialect hankeren

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hanker

• anchor
• anker
• banker
• canker
• rancor
• shanker
• tanker

Kids Definition

hanker

verb

han·​ker ˈhaŋ-kər 

hankered; hankering -k(ə-)riŋ 

: to have an eager or continual desire

hanker after fame

hankerer

-kər-ər 

noun