craving

[krey-ving]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR craving ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

great or eager desire; yearning.

Origin of craving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at crave, -ing¹

Related formscrav·ing·ly, adverbcrav·ing·ness, nounun·crav·ing, adjectiveun·crav·ing·ly, adverb

Synonym study

See desire.

crave

[kreyv]

verb (used with object), craved, crav·ing.

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), craved, crav·ing.

to beg or plead (usually followed by for).

Origin of crave

before 1000; Middle English craven, Old English crafian; akin to Old Norse krefja to demand, lay claim to

Related formscrav·er, noun

Synonyms for crave

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crave ON THESAURUS.COM

1. yearn for, hunger for.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for craving

longing, itch, hankering, hunger, thirst, lust, yearning, passion, appetite, need, urge, yen, hurting, munchies

Examples from the Web for craving

Contemporary Examples of craving

They were tired of the fare at restaurants catering to tourists and were craving something a bit more authentic.
The Airbnb of Home-Cooked Meals
Itay Hod
November 3, 2014
High off success with their Fantasy Football league, the group was craving even more competition.
Fans of ‘The Bachelor’ Embrace Brackets, Bookies, and Buy-ins in Online Betting Pools
Nina Strochlic
January 20, 2014
Craving a change of scenery, I decide to leave the InStyle/Warner Bros. party.
Partying With the Golden Globes Stars: Taylor Swift Cuts a Rug, Ben Affleck Holds Court, and More
Marlow Stern
January 13, 2014
So here Obama is, craving security and adulation, but being denied both.
The Sprawling, Dimming Age of Obama
Lloyd Green
June 30, 2013
That craving, LaCava realizes by the end of her story, set in 2009-10, doubles as a kind of control.
Objectively Speaking: Stephanie LaCava’s ‘An Extraordinary Theory of Objects’
Lauren Elkin
December 13, 2012

Historical Examples of craving

A sound of craving and eagerness that had nothing articulate in it but blood.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
Throbbing with a grateful, craving allegiance, I seized the rein.
The Cavalier
George Washington Cable
Why should I be sober, when in such moments I suffer agonies of craving?
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
Thus it is not alcoholism or the craving for drink which is inherited.
The Sexual Question
August Forel
It seemed to her that if she could not satisfy her craving she herself must lose her life.
Fruitfulness
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for craving

craving

noun

an intense desire or longing

crave

verb

(when intr, foll by for or after) to desire intensely; long (for)

(tr) to need greatly or urgently

(tr) to beg or plead for

Derived Formscraver, noun

Word Origin for crave

Old English crafian; related to Old Norse krefja to demand, krǣfr strong; see craft

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for craving

crave

Old English crafian "ask, implore, demand by right," from North Germanic *krabojan (cf. Old Norse krefja "to demand," Danish kræve, Swedish kräva); perhaps related to craft in its base sense of "power." Current sense "to long for" is c.1400, probably through intermediate meaning "to ask very earnestly" (c.1300). Related: Craved; craving.