Definition of YEARN

Choose the Right Synonym for yearn

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

yearn, long, and pine mean to desire something very much. yearn is used of a very eager desiring along with restless or painful feelings. They're yearning for freedom. long is used when someone truly wants something and often tries very hard to get it. She longed to become a successful writer. pine is used when someone is growing weak while continuing to want something that is impossible to get. She was pining away for her long lost friend.

Examples of yearn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The post-Cold War peace dividend brought congressional budget caps in the late 1990s that had the armed services yearning to jettison aging or underutilized bases. — Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, "Celebration of S.A. military coming to a rejuvenated Fort Sam," 3 May 2018 Remarkably, Russians have begun to challenge the country’s law-enforcement system publicly, and many are winning—a triumph for ordinary people yearning for authentic rule of law. — Konstantin Dobrynin, WSJ, "Russia’s Future Is Rapped in an Enigma," 14 Jan. 2019 In many of his songs, people are seeking understanding about relationships that have failed, yearning for connection or railing against self-deception. — Randy Lewis, latimes.com, "Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats' incredible journey to sophomore album," 9 Mar. 2018 In a geopolitical climate that’s yearning for rational adults, the nostalgia for Nelson Mandela is potent. — Kaitlin Menza, Town & Country, "Seeking Nelson Mandela in South Africa," 18 July 2017 Yet despite these accomplishments, be assured most university presidents and faculty yearn for Mr. Daniels’s failure and ignominious exit. — WSJ, "Boilermakers Are a Model for College Cost Cuts," 19 Dec. 2018 My heart is still yearning for a special piece of land where our family can live more sustainably, grow, create, hold space for community gatherings, and thrive in a more natural setting. — Glamour, "Broken Harts, Episode 1: Fear," 4 Dec. 2018 Word, Edge, OneDrive, Teams, Yammer, and Skype—and yearn for a return to the golden glory days. — Peter Bright, Ars Technica, "Microsoft Office has pretty new icons but they have a fatal flaw," 30 Nov. 2018 Young kids often yearn to give money to good causes, and that’s sweet. — Jeff Bogle, Good Housekeeping, "14 Reasons Parenting Teenagers Is Better Than You Think It Will Be," 10 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'yearn.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.