lust

noun \ ˈləst \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: lust in a Sentence

1 obsolete

a : pleasure, delight

b : personal inclination : wish

2 : usually intense or unbridled sexual desire : lasciviousness

He was motivated more by lust than by love.

3 a : an intense longing : craving

a lust to succeed

b : enthusiasm, eagerness

admired his lust for life

See lust defined for English-language learners

See lust defined for kids

Examples of lust in a Sentence

He was consumed by lust.
He was driven by a lust for power.
Lust for chocolate drew her into the candy store.

Recent Examples of lust from the Web

Carmen Cusack got a Tony nomination in her Broadway debut, and Audrey Cardwell (who took over this touring role in March) touches all the emotional bases: giddiness, melancholy, infatuation, lust, intellectual rigor and more.

— lawrence toppman, charlotteobserver, "‘Bright Star,’ a musical tale of NC mountain life, glows steadily and endearingly," 27 June 2018
With America’s lust for energy (the U.S. accounts for 18 percent of the world's energy consumption), the impacts on frontline families remains uncertain.

— megan ditrolio, Marie Claire, "Fracking: The Environmental Crisis in Our Backyard," 13 June 2018
And yet anyone with knowledge of FIFA and its lust for bribes and kickbacks will tell you that Morocco has a really good shot to land 2026.

— mac engel, star-telegram, "FIFA has easy decision on 2026 World Cup. Don't be surprised to see it miss," 12 June 2018
But the shock of his death will recede, and people will remember his invigorating lust for life.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Anthony Bourdain: His life matters more than his death," 8 June 2018
Female lust, comprising all these repulsions, isn’t some blunt, unidirectional force.

— lily janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, "Young womanhood sopping wet with bodily fluids in Shotgun’s ‘Dry Land’," 31 May 2018
Race, religion, resistance, self-doubt, revolution, lust, paranoia, exultation — Lamar tackles all these and more with equal insight, wit and force.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Kendrick Lamar scores knock-out at post-Pulitzer Prize 'Championship Tour' concert in San Diego," 14 May 2018
The mean celebrity chef with high blood pressure hovers lasciviously over his creation, his primordial lust for the French fry sandwich overwhelming.

— alex siquig, GQ, "The Chip Butty Is the Deranged Nonsensical Sandwich of My Dreams," 7 May 2018
Her lust for life faded without the ability to drive or be free of a live-in nurse.

— miamiherald, "Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill reveals identity of long-anonymous donors of millions | Miami Herald," 14 Aug. 2014

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

Origin and Etymology of lust

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lust pleasure and perhaps to Latin lascivus wanton

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

lust Synonyms

lust

verb

lusted; lusting; lusts

intransitive verb

: to have an intense desire or need : crave; specifically : to have a sexual urge

See lust defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of lust from the Web

Displaced Puerto Ricans have become the face of a voting bloc politicians are lusting over.

— bianca padró ocasio, OrlandoSentinel.com, "These Puerto Ricans who fled Hurricane María's destruction built a community at a Super 8 in Kissimmee. Now, they have to leave it.," 27 June 2018
Stansell is one of those rare performers who does make country music videos showing two men lusting after each other (alongside an impressive rainbow dust cloud).

— refinery29.com, "How Country Music Became A Safe(r) Space For LGBTQ+ Artists," 8 June 2018
The documents had transcripts of conversations between Sherman and an unidentified blogger that showed the two explicitly lusting after the young girls depicted in the images and videos.

— wayne k. roustan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Former middle school teacher facing child pornography charges," 22 June 2018
Considering how the Orioles and their fans lusted over Houston Astros pitching prospect Forrest Whitley last year during the Zach Britton saga, such comparisons should be welcome.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Get to know 2018 Orioles draft picks Grayson Rodriguez, Cadyn Grenier," 5 June 2018
Thus this highly readable chronicle comprises vaulting ambition, familial betrayal, moral corruption, high politics, foul murder and a beautiful queen lusting for revenge.

— andrew roberts, WSJ, "‘Richard III’ Review: The Villain Wore a Crown," 30 Apr. 2018
This week, a new-to-NYC humanitarian worker lusting after a younger guy and bored by a preppy one: 37, straight, single, Upper East Side.

— The Cut, "The Humanitarian Worker Contemplating Group Sex," 6 May 2018
Alas, Tess is lusting for bad boy bartender Jake (Tom Sturridge).

— San Francisco Chronicle, "First course of ‘Sweetbitter’ goes down easily on Starz," 30 Apr. 2018
Astute fans of Back to the Future will recognize it as the truck that Marty lusted after; that's a Hilux in everything but the name.

— devin holody, Ars Technica, "A beginner’s guide to the world of weird and wonderful Japanese import cars," 26 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of lust

see ¹lust

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

LUST Defined for English Language Learners

lust

noun

: a strong feeling of sexual desire
: a strong desire for something

lust

verb

: to have a strong sexual desire for someone
: to have a strong desire for something

LUST Defined for Kids

lust

noun \ ˈləst \

: a strong longing

She has a lust for adventure.

Learn More about lust

See words that rhyme with lust Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lust Spanish Central: Translation of lust Nglish: Translation of lust for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lust for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show

lust

Examples of lust in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lust from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lust

lust Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

lust

Recent Examples of lust from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lust

Phrases Related to LUST

Related Phrases

LUST Defined for English Language Learners

lust

lust

LUST Defined for Kids

lust

Learn More about lust

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/20

Trending: Giuliani: Secret Recordings 'Powerful Exculpatory Evidence'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Ghost Word