craving

American

[krey-ving] / ˈkreɪ vɪŋ /

noun

great or eager desire; yearning.

craving British

/ ˈkreɪvɪŋ /

noun

an intense desire or longing

"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

Related Words

See desire.

Other Word Forms

cravingly adverb
cravingness noun
uncraving adjective
uncravingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of craving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; crave, -ing ¹

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.

If you’re craving a bit of crunch on your freshly-baked muffins, skip the homemade streusel and sprinkle some chia seeds.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

In fact, craving something sweet, I just grabbed a post-lunch packaged brownie from WSJ’s snack-food stash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Whatever your arts craving may be, this astoundingly rich new lineup of new local museums has you covered.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Fans have taken it upon themselves to exploit this inner-castle joke even further, posting recipe videos for when you’re craving “‘Traitors’ salmon” and frequently referencing the breakfast dish in their spoofs and satirical content.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

Yet there was little he could do to satisfy his craving.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023