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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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:
“I think we’re really tapping into that desire to be hyperlocal, hyper-real and connected.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Lutz explained that the move came from a desire to stay close to family, noting that the parents of his wife Brittany Lutz made the move first.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
While “Demolition” again tackles thwarted desire and self-loathing, this time it comes in the form of a wildly catchy rock anthem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Richard Bland is currently the only player to have stated publicly a desire to play on LIV 2.0.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
"To their own personal afterlives, I suspect. Whatever was deepest in their hearts' desire, whether they knew it or not. What else could heaven be, Sik?"
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
“Lorca is also so visceral, you can’t separate his desires from his art,” Guitarrica adds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
It’s a film for anyone who has put aside their desires and told themselves it’s too late or too scary to try something new.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
“I had to quell those desires for homeownership as I continue to see the price of everything grow exponentially,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Similarly, to build the council houses Burnham desires to cut the housing benefits bill will need big cheques.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Skills: Recognizing their own strengths and weaknesses, reflecting and analyzing themselves, awareness of their inner feelings, desires and dreams, evaluating their thinking patterns, reasoning with themselves, understanding their role in relationship to others.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The gentlemen in the area leave much to be desired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The discovery gives scientists a way to guide this behavior by designing the beam's initial structure, rather than depending on specialized materials to produce the desired effect.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
For Symbotic, it was difficult to hit Walmart’s goals, primarily the desired “throughput,” the rate at which goods are processed, said people familiar with the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“If the desired level of investment rises faster than the available pool of savings, the system needs a higher return to make the pieces fit.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
My wardrobe left something to be desired at the start of ninth grade.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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
That’s when someone falsely accuses one’s perceived opponents of conducting, plotting or desiring to commit the same transgressions that one plans to commit or is already committing.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2025
She had a predilection for painting women as modern, urban, desiring.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
That night she danced he was already a dead man, a living dead man who sucked life from the living, desiring and hating it even as he took it.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
