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.