thirst

1 of 2

noun

ˈthərst 

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

Synonyms

Noun

• appetency
• appetite
• craving
• desire
• drive
• hankering
• hunger
• itch
• jones [slang]
• letch
• longing
• lust
• passion
• pining
• thirstiness
• urge
• yearning
• yen

Verb

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• hanker (for or after)
• hunger (for)
• itch (for)
• jones (for) [slang]
• long (for)
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• pine (for)
• repine (for)
• salivate (for)
• sigh (for)
• want
• wish (for)
• yearn (for)
• yen (for)

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

Absent that, the all-new 7th generation Mustang will slake most of your thirst for a Pony car experience. —Josh Max, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

The internet’s thirst hit a new peak when photos of the star appeared on the red carpet for a March 21 photo call in London. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024

The nightstand belongs to Angela Răducanu (Ilinca Manolache), whose thirst for booze would seem matched only by her taste in classic literature. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024

Her creativity is abundant paired with her innate thirst for knowledge. —Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024

The video and photo evidence of torture were only part of the clear thirst for revenge. —Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024

Just as no facts are ever enough to satisfy conspiracy theorists, no amount of information is ever enough to quench the online gossipy thirst about the royal family. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024

She was prescribed a complex and ever-changing array of hormones for an array of needs: managing her thirst, regulating her sleep, sustaining her immune system. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024

Royalle’s thirst for self-knowledge couldn’t be quenched. —Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024

Verb

So fans won't be thirsting for The Boys content much longer. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 10 July 2023

People couldn't help but thirst over two shirtless Hollywood hunks in their prime, gleefully wrestling with each other in the water. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 19 Sep. 2023

Many thirsted over him on social media: The smoldering stare. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024

While Red, White & Royal Blue is Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and Henry's (Nicholas Galitzine) love story, viewers have als been thirsting after the film's villain — journalist Miguel Ramos, played by Juan Castano. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2023

Advertisement The brewery’s three beers — West Coast IPA, Hazy Citrus IPA and Mexican Lager — are aimed at craft beer fans who thirst for a healthy lifestyle. —Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2024

The Bear and The Icon Claw star Jeremy Allen White's Calvin Klein campaign dropped on January 4, basically setting the internet aflame as fans thirsted over his sculpted physique and tousled curls. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 5 Jan. 2024

The move comes, again, as the Lakers have thirsted for some kind of consistency, a quest that’s been undone by injuries and an ongoing search for five Lakers that can consistently play with positive results. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024

Her View co-hosts had plenty to say, though, thirsting after the former football tight end, who played in the NFL for 17 seasons and currently works as a football analyst on Prime Video. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 2 Jan. 2024

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

Phrases Containing thirst

• die of/from thirst
• quench one's/someone's thirst
• slake one's/someone's thirst
• thirst trap

Kids Definition

thirst

1 of 2 noun

ˈthərst 

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

ˈthərst 

: 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