thirst

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that induces this sensation
b
: a desire or need to drink
2
: an ardent desire : craving, longing
a thirst for success

thirst

2 of 2

verb

thirsted; thirsting; thirsts

intransitive verb

1
: to feel thirsty : suffer thirst
2
: to crave vehemently and urgently
thirsted for revenge
thirsting
after justice
thirster noun
Choose the Right Synonym for thirst

long, yearn, hanker, pine, hunger, thirst mean to have a strong desire for something.

long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own
thirsted for power

Examples of thirst in a Sentence

Noun his thirst for knowledge is evident in his book-filled house an unquenchable thirst for travel that has led her to the far corners of the globe
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The near-total communication cut is at least the fourth since Oct. 7 — and could be the most prolonged, at a time when hunger, thirst and disease are spreading quickly among Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, already battered by weeks of Israeli bombardments and ground fighting. Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023 Some seniors experience a decrease in their sense of thirst. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023 Their hunger and thirst were beginning to overwhelm their ability to execute mini-funerals. Mike O’Brien, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023 The autoimmune condition typically causes symptoms like insatiable thirst, bed-wetting, frequent bathroom trips, weight loss, and emotional challenges, among others. Tiffany Ayuda, SELF, 10 Nov. 2023 The best inheritance in Mally Skok’s family is an unquenchable thirst for charm. Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Nov. 2023 What story could keep my girls distracted from hunger, thirst, and exhaustion when the Israeli blockade created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza that grows more dire by the minute? TIME, 20 Oct. 2023 Anyone who does not die in the raids will die of hunger and thirst. Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2023 Hamas’s Goals: Mounting grievances fueled Hamas’s decision to attack Israel, but the nature of the surprise assault was shaped by a deep thirst for revenge built up over decades of conflict. John Leland, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023
Verb
Tennis fans were thirsting for a Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. Sean Gregory, Time, 9 Sep. 2023 Arguing Over Restaurant Choices and Cheese After their trainer David arrived, Ubah immediately began thirsting over him, even gently falling into his muscly arms. Henry Chandonnet, Peoplemag, 31 July 2023 In 1989, as the boys faced charges in the attack, an outraged city thirsted for their punishment. Suzette Hackney, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023 The Atlanta artist likens himself to the infamous vampire, but with platinum teeth and thirsting for bags of money. Cydney Lee, Billboard, 31 May 2023 Local clergymen have criticized them in newspaper op-eds as thirsting for revenge instead of forgiveness. Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post, 24 May 2023 There’s usually an opportune confluence, however, of the needs for crop irrigation and hydro generation in summer when farms thirst for water and the electrical grid is strained by air conditioners running full blast. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2023 While Paltrow was wishing her accuser well, people online were continuing to thirst over Egan, who is a member of her legal team and a partner at Epperson & Owens. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2023 While, Bravohlics may be thirsting for blood, Madix is riding a wave of good will and good fortune, which includes a role in a new Lifetime movie. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 23 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thirst.' 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

Middle English þurst, þrust, þirst, þrist, going back to Old English þurst, going back to Germanic *þurstu- (whence also West Frisian toarst "thirst," Old Saxon thurst, Old High German thurst, durst, beside an n-stem in Old Norse þorsti "thirst," Gothic þaurstei), going back to Indo-European *tr̥s-t- (whence also Old Irish tart "dryness, drought, thirst"), nominal derivative from a verbal base *ters- "dry up, become thirsty," whence Gothic gaþaursana "withered" (accusative plural participle, from a strong verb *gaþairsan "to wither," if not from gaþaursnan "to dry up, wither"), Greek térsomai, térsesthai "to become dry, dry up"; also from a present-tense formation *tr̥s-i̯e-, Old English þyrred "dried out," Gothic þaursjan "to be thirsty," Sanskrit tṛṣyati "(s/he) is thirsty"; from a causative *tors-éi̯e- Old High German derren "to make dry," Old Norse þerra, Latin torreō, torrēre "to heat so as to dry, scorch, parch, (of food) roast, bake," Sanskrit tarṣáyati "(s/he) makes thirsty," Hittite taršant- "drying"

Note: The noun thirst has lost etymological -u- in favor of the -i- spelling of the verb. Variation between -u- and -i- is already evident in Middle English, at a time when the vowels would still generally have been distinguished, along with metathetic variants with the vowel following r. The spelling thurst is not infrequent in the seventeenth century, though Samuel Johnson's dictionary (1755) only acknowledges thirst.

Verb

Middle English þirsten, þristen, thrusten "to suffer from thirst, be thirsty (in impersonal me thirsteth "I am thirsty"), going back to Old English þyrstan, going back to Germanic *þurstjan- (whence also Old Saxon thurstian "to be thirsty," Old High German thursten, dursten, Old Norse þyrsta), verbal derivative of *þurstu- "thirst" — more at thirst entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near thirst

Cite this Entry

“Thirst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thirst. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

thirst

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat that accompanies a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that causes thirst
b
: a strong desire to drink
2
: a strong desire : craving
a thirst for fame

thirst

2 of 2 verb
1
: to feel thirsty
2
: to have a strong desire : crave

Medical Definition

thirst

noun
: a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that induces this sensation

More from Merriam-Webster on thirst

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!