lust

noun

\ ˈləst

Definition of lust

(Entry 1 of 2)

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.

3a : an intense longing : craving a lust to succeed

b : enthusiasm, eagerness admired his lust for life

lust

verb

lusted; lusting; lusts

Definition of lust (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about lust

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Examples of lust in a Sentence

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But the art which resists the slow sap of a chronic disease—which repairs frames enervated by lust, swollen by gluttony, or inflamed by wine . . — Chris Pope, WSJ, "‘More Than Medicine’ Review: An Ounce of Prevention," 17 Mar. 2019 Vogue spoke with McInerney by phone from Minneapolis about changing the conversation around grief, lust after loss, and how Girl, Wash Your Face might not be the best guide to life. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "In No Happy Endings, Nora McInerny Is in Love With Both of Her Husbands," 26 Mar. 2019 With her many media appearances and her vow to spill the beans on the lust affair, Stormy has become a one-name wonder. — Ana Veciana-suarez, miamiherald, "Dysfunction is the name of the game in Washington, D.C. | Miami Herald," 16 Feb. 2018 Acer achieved a lot in the notebook's design, and its slim profile will inspire lust in many. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Acer Swift 7 review: Thinness above all else demands many compromises," 8 Nov. 2018 Yorgos Lanthimos’ irresistibly nasty tale of lust, power and pet bunnies in the court of England’s Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), who reigned in the early years of the 18th century. — Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times, "‘The Favourite’ review: an irresistibly nasty tale of lust, power and pet bunnies," 4 Dec. 2018 Venus is partly about how lust can inspire masterpieces. — Noel Murray, The Verge, "This weekend, stream Venus, the breakthrough film for Doctor Who’s Thirteenth Doctor," 5 Oct. 2018 But this wasn’t my experience with Roth, even as his narrators often perceived women primarily as objects of lust. — Emily Gould, The Cut, "The Shocking Thing About Teaching Roth to College Kids," 24 May 2018 Meanwhile, Angela is carrying on with protuberant tennis pro Tony Parker (Andrew Carter), who becomes the object of lust to both Edith and Angela's gay son, Lance (Tom DeTrinis). — F. Kathleen Foley, latimes.com, "Lust, secrets, murder: Dive into the drag-rific world of 'Die, Mommy, Die!'," 17 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Been lusting over the new Jumbo Blush Compact in Nars' fan-favorite Orgasm shade? — Alexis Rhiannon, Allure, "Sephora’s Early Access Event Is Letting VIB Rouge Members Snag Seriously Exciting New Products," 20 Mar. 2019 While the outfit was fairly understated, Kate also wore a very cool pair of boots which Twitter is lusting hard over. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Chose Skinny Jeans and Cool Chloé Boots for Her First 2019 Royal Engagement," 15 Jan. 2019 Paris Couture Week always offers an array of swoon-worthy gowns to lust over. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Glow-in-the-Dark Heels Are Here to Make Your Childhood Dreams Come True," 22 Jan. 2019 From Ronnie's sequin dress to Josie's sparkly two-piece, there were a whole lot of wardrobe choices worth lusting after at the big event. — Zoë Weiner, Teen Vogue, "Including Jughead's dark suit, which may be hiding a sinister message.," 26 Oct. 2018 Her mission was to capture the scent of a diamond, that deeply lusted-after — and utterly fragrance-free — rock. — Cotton Codinha, Allure, "Mathilde Laurent Used All of Her Senses to Create a Scent That Smells Like Diamonds," 2 Oct. 2018 Some are perhaps yet to witness theirs, while some are probably lusting over the memories of theirs playing from many years ago. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 3 Weeks to Go - Ranking the Best 'Golden Generations' at the 2006 Tournament," 4 June 2018 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

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.