lust

noun \ ˈləst \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

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

The evangelical idea is to get rid of the temptation before men, in particular, would fall into that trap of lust.

— randy dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, "The 19th-century censor who pushed Americans too far," 10 Apr. 2018
Overall, conservationists say there is no sweeping aphrodisiac craze driving lust for rhino horn.

— jeremy hsu, Scientific American, "The Hard Truth about the Rhino Horn “Aphrodisiac” Market," 5 Apr. 2017
Whimsical speak for the fact that OOKIOH's bright, primary color schemed minimalist suits invoke a heavy dose of travel lust and an itch too book an Instagrammable beach vacation, ASAP.

— allie briggs, refinery29.com, "The New Eco-Friendly Swimsuit Brand That's All Under $100," 26 Mar. 2018
Part 15: How a lust for money propelled the Rajneesh movements into the arms of Big Business.

— grant butler, OregonLive.com, "Read The Oregonian's original 20-part investigative series on Rajneeshees," 20 Mar. 2018
That the ancient lust and covetousness which propels empire is a human condition embedded in even the most applauded hosts.

— tunde wey, San Francisco Chronicle, "The power of those who get to tell the stories," 18 Mar. 2018
On his new 14-track LP, Ray valiantly divulges his experiences with sweet-sounding love, perfumed lust and bass-rattling betrayal.

— bianca alysse, Billboard, "Arin Ray on His New Album 'Platinum Fire,' Starting Out on 'X Factor' & Working With YG," 9 Mar. 2018
Along with lust, Texas ranked high in vanity and jealousy at the number seven spot of each category.

— heather leighton, Houston Chronicle, "Texas named the most lustful state in America, according to new Wallethub study," 21 Feb. 2018
It’s full of handsiness and groping and objectification and lust and aggression and passion and the ruthless pursuit of yet another conquest.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "#MeToo and the Taboo Topic of Nature," 19 Jan. 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.

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

See Words from the same year

lust Synonyms

lust

verb

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

Owners who barely scraped by but had civic loyalty kept the Tribe here until a showplace was finally built, rebuffing all the thief cities that lusted for baseball.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Indians 2018: A quarter-century in the park that saved the team: Bill Livingston (photos)," 6 Apr. 2018
Alaskans are lusting after fresh fruits and vegetables right now, fantasizing about the pepper and snap of an arugula stem and the sweet acid of a mango.

— julia o’malley, New York Times, "Finding Produce in Alaska’s Long Winter Takes Wiles and Luck," 20 Feb. 2018
From the moment Cordish's glittering One Light high-rise apartments opened at the end of 2015, the heart of the city lusted for luxury.

— jeneé osterheldt, kansascity, "Don't be blinded by the Lights: Luxury living drives everyday people out of downtown | The Kansas City Star," 9 Mar. 2018
After lusting over a 19th-century architectural gem in New Jersey for years, designer Michael Maher finally became its proud owner.

— douglas brenner, House Beautiful, "A Central Park Architect Created This 19th-Century Escape," 24 Apr. 2017
Even students who lust for Ivy admission spend hundreds of hours a year in nonacademic pursuits because the most selective U.S. colleges think that’s a good sign of character and potential.

— jay mathews, Washington Post, "Let’s hear it for the Dragonslayer’s Society and other not-so-scholarly pursuits," 18 Feb. 2018
While a lot of people on internet are lusting for a Bennifer reconciliation, there are also those who are decidedly not ready to forget how things ended the first time around.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "17 Tweets That Make the Case for Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt *Not* Getting Back Together," 17 Feb. 2018
But in a world overrun with security threats and people lusting after early access to a Star Wars script, Johnson needed to take some extreme measures to keep the script safe.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "How an Apple MacBook Air Kept the 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Script Secret," 12 Jan. 2018
However, those closet doors opened in a major way this year with the launch of 11 Honoré, a high-end online retailer for lusted-after brands and exclusively made clothes in a size range of 10 to 20.

— amy preiser, latimes.com, "11 Honoré, a new women's online retailer for plus-size shoppers, offers luxury styles for all," 15 Dec. 2017

Origin and Etymology of lust

see ¹lust

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

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

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