Definition of LONGING

Examples of longing in a Sentence

They looked with longing toward freedom.
She cast a look of longing at the shop window.
She never told anyone about her secret longings.

Recent Examples of longing from the Web

In 1919, British police detective Sam Wyndham is in Calcutta, traumatized by the war and longing to start a new chapter.

— adam woog, The Seattle Times, "3 new thrillers for summer reading, including a previously unpublished Michael Crichton novel", 2 June 2017
That’s the deepest longing of any cultural outsider, and like many such outsiders, Igort is particularly attached to the aspects of the country that are gone or vanishing.

— douglas wolk, New York Times, "New Graphic Novels Detail Personal Journeys and Twists of Fate", 31 May 2017
Some items left behind reflect the deep longing for closure felt by many Vietnam veterans.

— CBS News, "Mementos on the Wall: Remembering Vietnam veterans", 29 May 2017
It's also filled with the music and longing of composer Orbert Davis in director Ron OJ Parson's languid TimeLine production.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Chris Jones recommends", 27 May 2017
This song deals with the feeling of longing as Boat reminisces on a lost lover.

— j'na jefferson, Billboard, "Lil Yachty's 10 Most Personal Lyrics on 'Teenage Emotions'", 27 May 2017
Nostalgia—generally defined as a sentimental longing for bygone times—underwent a particularly significant metamorphosis in 1888, when Kodak released the first commercially successful camera for amateurs.

— rosa inocencio smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: An Attack in Egypt", 26 May 2017
The newcomers, Kim in particular, awaken and complicate his unexpressed adolescent longings.

— sheri linden, The Hollywood Reporter, "‘It Comes at Night’: Film Review", 26 May 2017
Originating in the streets of the city’s Alfama neighborhood in the 19th century and influenced by Moorish songs, each eruptive ballad evokes the Portuguese emotion of saudade–a yearning or longing for something lost.

— eliot stein, CNT, "Why You Can't Miss Fado Music in Lisbon, Portugal", 24 Mar. 2017

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