hankering
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hankering
Explanation
A hankering is a strong desire for something. If you have a hankering for pizza, you really want some pizza. This is a folksy, informal word that means about the same thing as yearning. When you have a hankering, you want something. Often, people use this word for food, as in "I have a hankering for sushi!" You could have a hankering for football season, a new pair of shoes, or a trip to the beach. Anything you want could spawn a hankering. This word is related to a sense of hanker that means to want or crave something.
Vocabulary lists containing hankering
An Excerpt from "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
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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.
The stories frame the all-consuming desire for retaliation as an integral aspect of our mortal lives; no one gets out without hankering for a bit of vengeance.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
It’s the absolute goal of every resort operator to satisfy that hankering.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026
And distributors, dizzy from years of surprises and disruption, are hankering for a universally appealing, tried-and-true marketing campaign, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
After nearly eight months of "oily and salty" prison food, Barbie told the Sunday Times she would like to have some salad and marmite, while Peter was hankering for baked beans.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
“Fadi and I had a hankering for your spicy chapli kebobs.”
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
