crave
Americanverb (used with object)
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to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.
to crave sweets; to crave affection.
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to require; need.
a problem craving prompt attention.
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to ask earnestly for (something); beg for.
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to ask (a person) earnestly for something or to do something.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to desire intensely; long (for)
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(tr) to need greatly or urgently
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(tr) to beg or plead for
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cravesimple
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cravessimple
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have cravedperfect
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has cravedperfect
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am cravingprogressive
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are cravingprogressive
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is cravingprogressive
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have been cravingperfect progressive
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has been cravingperfect progressive
Past
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cravedsimple
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had cravedperfect
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was cravingprogressive
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were cravingprogressive
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had been cravingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crave
First recorded before 1000; Middle English craven, Old English crafian; akin to Old Norse krefja “to demand, lay claim to”
Explanation
To crave something is to have a great desire for it, as one might crave love, fame, or French fries. Crave is typically used in the context of emotional or physical desires rather than practical needs. For example, most people crave a hug or a cup of hot cocoa every now and then, but it’s unusual to crave a new filing cabinet or tie rack — although if that’s how you feel, don’t let us interfere. Interestingly, crave comes from an Old English word meaning “demand.” Perhaps our ancestors were more assertive about getting what they wanted.
Vocabulary lists containing crave
Vocabulary from Beyoncé's "Lemonade"
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Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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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.
See Examples For:
Midshipmen crave occasional breaks from thinking about school, if they have breaks at all.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Organizers and instructors in major U.S. cities say they’re seeing increased interest post-pandemic among Generation Z and millennials, who crave in-person, screen-free experiences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Teenagers don’t have the disposable income—or the easily accessible credit cards—that advertisers crave.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
If you’re endlessly fascinated by cults and crave another documentary dose, this month brings two very different offerings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Mom’s waiting outside, and gives me one of those long warm hugs that I crave so much.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
Yet David craves Monica’s maternal affection as if he were real — and for all intents and purposes, he is.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
I’m not the only one who craves this state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Putellas, who has just lifted the Champions League trophy, is also the blockbuster name billionaire owner Michele Kang craves.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Right now, Parsons craves some of that normalcy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
He has never heard her speak his name and holding her in his arms he suddenly craves the sound.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
So while he joined the Philadelphia Union academy as a teen, he craved the demands of school and left soon afterward to enroll at Harvard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
These chips are the same ones craved by artificial-intelligence companies, which use them to help train and run large language models, coding agents and other tools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Trump was born in Queens, attended Knicks games for years and has long craved the validation of New York crowds.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Kohli even provided the iconic ending the majority of those inside the stadium craved as he crashed Arshad Khan over long-on for six to seal the victory.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
Though I embraced my simultaneous roles as athlete and activist, there were times at the games when I craved time outside of the spotlight.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Quazza sees a generation "really craving that connectedness...and that's what draws many people to the kitchen."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
But there's another alternative for anyone craving a live music fix, and it's right on your doorstep.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
What advice might you have for folks who recognize that they’re craving something different from how they’re presently experiencing their day-to-day realities but can’t see how to change it?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
As much as Americans are looking for affordability, they are also craving job security.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
My entire body started craving oxygen, just one breath, but I couldn’t get it.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
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.
