- present participle of crave.
craving
Americannoun
-
cravings
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See desire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of craving
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at crave, -ing 1
Explanation
A craving is an intense desire for something really particular. If you have a craving for pickled herring, a tuna sandwich just won't do. Must. Have. Pickled. Herring. Craving is the noun that comes from the verb crave, which comes from the Old English word crafian, meaning "to demand, beg." When we talk about cravings, it's almost like the body and not the mind that is demanding something. Pregnant women famously have crazy cravings, sending their partners to the store in the middle of the night for pickles or toffee. Some people have cravings for power or fame: the desire is so strong they can't let it go.
Vocabulary lists containing craving
Eat Your Words
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Sugar Changed the World
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The Tale of Despereaux
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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:
It depends on what I’m craving, but usually I’ll end up at Burritos La Palma, which is a stand, and Mariscos Jalisco, which is a truck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
“They just lose the craving, the desire for food,” said Bob Nolan, Conagra’s senior vice president of growth science.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Understanding this link between craving and consuming is central to understanding addiction.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
A month later, he had 95% of a 4.5cm brain tumour removed in surgery - and says he remembers waking up craving KFC.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But they bowed so graciously, thanking him, you'd scarcely guess their deep craving.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
For people who’ve struggled with restrictive eating and anorexia, the drugs’ help with appetite, cravings and satiety can be a tantalizing—and dangerous—proposition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She says she struggles with overeating and cravings during her period.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Beware of coffee enemas,” reads the subject line of a post from a woman who did them regularly for a decade and reports feelings of exhaustion, spaciness and cravings when she tries to stop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Once back in Chicago, I realized I had two immediate cravings: I wanted to sit outside, and I was hungry in the way people become hungry after spending several days in someone else’s kitchen.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
She knew how to manage her limits, knew how to make her cravings productive, and how to ration her opportunities so as not to draw suspicion....
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
