lust

1 of 2

noun

1
: usually intense or unbridled sexual desire : lasciviousness
He was motivated more by lust than by love.
2
a
: an intense longing : craving
a lust to succeed
b
: enthusiasm, eagerness
admired his lust for life
3
obsolete
b
: personal inclination : wish

lust

2 of 2

verb

lusted; lusting; lusts

intransitive verb

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

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
Authorities describe a case of lust, greed, and murder. Michelle Miller, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2024 Ariana’s been singing a lot about love so far—but this song seems to be more about lust. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 The Italian has brought me into a sustained state of heightened and occasionally out-of-control lust. Anna Holmes, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 Her book Black Square: Adventures in Post-Soviet Ukraine blends reportage and memoir in a brilliant and disturbing examination of how history is manipulated by empires to serve their nationalist, xenophobic land lust. Merve Emre, The New York Review of Books, 13 Feb. 2024 The reality of life is that passion, desire, lust, and love all occur alongside sadness, death, and war. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2024 In 1982, Madonna arrived, eventually bringing gender parity to the whole notion of songs about lust. Paul Grein, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2024 Harry tempers his lust with a gentleness and generosity toward his new crush. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2023 Can sinful tendencies of lust move towards a loving oasis? David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024
Verb
Occasionally this has its benefits, as in 1793, when lusting after a lovable rogue (Barnard) can take her mind off crawling around in subservience as the wife of a gluttonous aristocrat (Nick Frost). Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024 Cronenberg’s chief innovation is his capacity to recognize that whether lusting and falling in love are more like body horror or more like reincarnation is merely a matter of emphasis. Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024 Zendaya, whose best accessory is Timothée Chalamet, is the perfect poster girl for this new dawn at Alaïa which, while paying homage to Azzedine, resolutely drives the house forward for clients like herself who lust after newness. Alice Newbold, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2024 Handler was delivering a bit on lusting after older men, pointing out Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford. EW.com, 14 Jan. 2024 In California, dreams only go as far as water allows, and the valley’s farmers live in constant fear that cities are lusting after the water that sustains the local economy. Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 20 Nov. 2023 With awkward choices around the specs, design, and pricing, Apple has better options for consumers lusting for a Pro laptop. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Thirsty fangirls like me loved lusting over Word Up! Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2023 The desire for a Porsche or a Ferrari is both broad and deep, but to lust after a Lotus is to throw logic and reason out the occasionally malfunctioning power window. Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 13 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lust was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lust

Cite this Entry

“Lust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lust. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lust

1 of 2 noun
1
: sexual desire especially if strong or uncontrolled
2
: a strong longing : craving

lust

2 of 2 verb
: to have a strong desire : crave
especially : to have a strong sexual desire

More from Merriam-Webster on lust

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