crave
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.
to crave sweets; to crave affection.
-
to require; need.
a problem craving prompt attention.
-
to ask earnestly for (something); beg for.
-
to ask (a person) earnestly for something or to do something.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to desire intensely; long (for)
-
(tr) to need greatly or urgently
-
(tr) to beg or plead for
Other Word Forms
- craver noun
Etymology
Origin of crave
First recorded before 1000; Middle English craven, Old English crafian; akin to Old Norse krefja “to demand, lay claim to”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We believe that the vast majority of Americans crave honest conversation and civil, passionate debate,” Weiss said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times
The kind of bowl you crave after traipsing home through slushy streets with cold fingers.
From Salon
But during a particularly chaotic little stretch this winter — flight delays, a bumpy descent, the kind of head-cold that makes the world feel softly underwater — I found myself craving the bakery comfort of one anyway.
From Salon
When he’s tapped for the Cabinet, Ella gets the promotion that she craves, sworn in as the youngest female governor of her state, even as her family life descends into chaos.
From Los Angeles Times
This year, craving a little more calm and clarity, and a deeper sense of presence, I reread Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
