thirst
Americannoun
-
thirsts
plural
-
a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by need of liquid.
-
the physical condition resulting from this need, in any of various degrees.
They almost died of thirst.
-
strong or eager desire; craving.
a thirst for knowledge.
verb (used without object)
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thirsts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thirsted,
past participle, past
-
thirsting
present participle
-
to feel thirst; be thirsty.
-
to have a strong desire.
noun
-
a craving to drink, accompanied by a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat
-
an eager longing, craving, or yearning
a thirst for knowledge
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
thirstsimple
-
thirstssimple
-
have thirstedperfect
-
has thirstedperfect
-
am thirstingprogressive
-
are thirstingprogressive
-
is thirstingprogressive
-
have been thirstingperfect progressive
-
has been thirstingperfect progressive
Past
-
thirstedsimple
-
had thirstedperfect
-
was thirstingprogressive
-
were thirstingprogressive
-
had been thirstingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thirst
before 900; Middle English thirsten (v.), Old English thyrstan, derivative of thurst (noun); cognate with Dutch dorst, German Durst, Old Norse thorsti, Gothic thaurstei; noun has -i- from the v. or from thirsty; see toast 1
Explanation
Thirst is the sensation of needing or wanting to drink something. Use the same word whether you're talking about your thirst for lemonade on a hot day or the dire thirst of someone lost in a desert without water. At its most serious, thirst can be compared to starvation: "The water shortage is leading to extreme thirst in the poorest parts of the country." You can also use this word for a much milder need, like your cousin's seemingly endless thirst for root beer. Figuratively, to thirst for something is to desire it strongly: "Her thirst for knowledge means she stays up late reading the encyclopedia."
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:
There may be other contributory factors to any outbursts — including fatigue, lack of sleep, hunger, thirst, pain, infection, medications, bodily functions and irregular routines, among other many variables.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
It’s almost like there’s an unlimited thirst from anyone in her proximity to lay down their own brush with the incomprehensible at her feet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I mean, I’ve been doing this thirst thing for six years, but it is tied to action, otherwise, what’s the point? Engagement is cute, but it doesn’t move people.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
The court heard how Noah had "a lust for life and learning" and "a thirst for knowledge".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Their last night of thirst and bland journey food and aching buttocks and saddle chafe and dry bathing and grit in every crease of cloth and flesh.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
And one which has a big job ahead: Taking the food orders and quenching the thirsts of millions of visitors who will flock to the Paris Olympics this July.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2024
The half-inch-long insects are destructive agricultural pests because of their unquenchable thirsts and splashy bathroom habits: when nature calls, these bugs launch droplets of their watery pee and create puddles of disease-causing waste.
From Scientific American ● Feb. 28, 2023
Their reservoir partially inside the Holy Cross Wilderness, between Leadville and Minturn, would sacrifice natural processes for the purpose of sustaining population growth and a development boom - harnessing nature to slake human thirsts.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 13, 2020
Jason Sudeikis and Jason Mantzoukas have very different kinds of charms, yet both satisfy our thirsts.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2019
They all rested like that, absolutely quiet, drinking more slowly now that their thirsts had been quenched, eyes vaguely fixed on shadow-casting objects downhill.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Looks and physical attractiveness have influenced American politics since the widespread adoption of television, and Ossoff isn’t the first or the only political candidate the internet has thirsted over.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
And yet we found shelter within it, we pondered our lives and the lives of others, thirsted, slept.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 19, 2022
Their evident intention was to fallow the land and sell its water rights to San Diego, which thirsted to use the water for its residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2021
Chinese officials have openly thirsted for him to be punished.
From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2020
There were deep pools of knowledge in the dusty volumes quietly shelved in the libraries, and Antain thirsted for all of them.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Venture Global, which went public last year and is valued at roughly $39 billion, has positioned its Gulf Coast terminals as the answer to Asian and European buyers thirsting for new volumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
"That two undocumented migrants were the only ones who physically risked themselves to help the victim of a pack thirsting for horror leaves much food for thought and a series of lessons," Mayor Rey said.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025
Kentridge brings it to America thirsting for even less good yeses and noes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2025
And sometimes the changes come like a whirlwind, dividing parishes between those thirsting for a more reverent Catholicism and those who feel their spiritual home has been taken from them.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024
We slipped in and out of wakefulness, wincing at the soreness in our muscles, and thirsting for more of that tart lemonade.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
