desire
Americanverb (used with object)
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desires,
present (3rd person singular)
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desired,
past participle, past
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desiring
present participle
noun
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desires
plural
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a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment.
a desire for fame.
- Synonyms:
- thirst, appetite, hunger, aspiration
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an expressed wish; request.
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something desired.
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sexual appetite or a sexual urge.
verb
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to wish or long for; crave; want
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to express a wish or make a request for; ask for
noun
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a wish or longing; craving
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an expressed wish; request
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sexual appetite; lust
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a person or thing that is desired
Usage
What are other ways to say desire? To desire something or someone is to crave or long for them. How is desire different from want and wish? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Synonym Usage
Desire, craving, longing, yearning suggest feelings that impel one to the attainment or possession of something. Desire is a strong feeling, worthy or unworthy, that impels to the attainment or possession of something that is (in reality or imagination) within reach: a desire for success. Craving implies a deep and imperative wish for something, based on a sense of need and hunger: a craving for food, companionship. A longing is an intense wish, generally repeated or enduring, for something that is at the moment beyond reach but may be attainable at some future time: a longing to visit Europe. Yearning suggests persistent, uneasy, and sometimes wistful or tender longing: a yearning for one's native land.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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desirednessnoun
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desirernoun
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overdesirenoun
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self-desirenoun
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desirelessadjective
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undesiringadjective
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desiredlyadverb
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desiringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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desiresimple
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desiressimple
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have desiredperfect
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has desiredperfect
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am desiringprogressive
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are desiringprogressive
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is desiringprogressive
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have been desiringperfect progressive
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has been desiringperfect progressive
Past
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desiredsimple
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had desiredperfect
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was desiringprogressive
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were desiringprogressive
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had been desiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of desire
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English desiren, from Old French desirer, from Latin dēsīderāre; see desiderate ( def. )
Explanation
If you're talking about the longings of the heart, use the word desire. When you are studying for a difficult history exam, the desire to be somewhere far away doing something fun might be very strong! Desire can be used as both a noun and a verb. Is your boyfriend your heart's desire? Your parents probably desire your punctual appearance at the dinner table every evening. Desire is usually used not just when you long for any old thing, but for something that is associated with giving great pleasure. Thus, you might want to get an A on a test, but you desire a piece of chocolate cake.
Vocabulary lists containing desire
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
The less-than-friendly welcome can come as a shock to new-to-Reddit marketers, who have for years enjoyed the ability to post whatever they desire to brand pages on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Drinks offer a clear bridge between the desire to buy a little treat and to not spend too much in one go, the perfect recession-fueled nihilism salve.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We have our main core, the same manager, same methods and same desire to achieve more. A lot of people thought we reached a ceiling a couple of seasons ago and we proved them wrong."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
In “Kitchen Confidential,” Bourdain describes his decision to head to Provincetown as an impulse motivated less by romantic desire than by general apathy.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
He still wanted a paycheck, but the desire to prove himself over the board was his strongest motivation for trying to heal the rift.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
This may point to a mismatch where graduates aren’t building experience in the industries suited to their skills or desires.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Part of their unofficial relationship homework involves field missions that spark heated conversations about masculine insecurity and Diarra’s conflicted desires about motherhood.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Converts say spreadsheets turn their desires into packaged datasets that they can analyze for patterns—anything from “I typically catch feelings after the fourth date” to “my best dates tend to work in engineering.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The boards of Musk’s companies have generally indulged his desires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
I recall this day for the sake of Mr. Gitney, at that time called 03-01, as an homage to his desires for a world that cannot be.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Prepare the peaches: Peel the peaches, if desired, then remove the pits and roughly chop the fruit.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The findings could therefore provide a foundation for making deep brain stimulation more precisely tailored to an individual patient's brain network, particularly when existing DBS settings do not provide the desired level of symptom relief.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
It has a team working off of a master list of desired tenants, boosting Burbank for consideration for popular shops, restaurants and cafes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
"It's going to continue to be worked upon, potentially expanded despite evidence crying out that it's not have the impact that's desired."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
And he needed the education that Florence desired far more than he, and that she might have got if he had not been born.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Huckabee reportedly told embassy staff in an email there was "no need to panic, but for those desiring to leave, it's important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later".
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
The motivations for septuagenarian entrepreneurs include desiring autonomy, pursuing meaningful projects and addressing societal needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
“Being pregnant, desiring pregnancy, and parenting your children does not absolve you from being at risk of criminalization,” Perritt told Salon in a phone interview.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2024
But Southwest said it had listened to customers who sought more options, often desiring more comfortable, premium seats when they took longer flights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2024
And there’s nothing wrong with him desiring that again, is there?
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
