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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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:
Slate’s Steffi Cao set out to uncover just how the chain became such a phenomenon—and what its rise reveals about consumer desire, brand loyalty, and the future of American fast food.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
But he does stress that the smallest seed of hope is what allows us to maintain our humanity, compassion and desire for companionship, even in the most dire straits.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Now 66, Benitez says he is "waiting for another challenge", adding that his passion for the game is undiminished, as is his desire to "improve teams and players".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I’ve heard the questions and concerns. I’ve heard the desire to see Brown-Forman regain momentum, and those conversations matter,” Farrer said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He came closer to the grandfather clock, with a strong desire to console it.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Marvell Technology reports earnings this week but Wall Street desires more details on a recently announced agreement with Google.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
But such great champions are, of course, born competitors who have insatiable desires to win matches - and Grand Slam trophies.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
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
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
But the price is subjugation to a way of life completely alien to their urges and desires.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Customers can appeal those decisions or share more information with OpenAI if desired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Prepare the peaches: Peel the peaches, if desired, then remove the pits and roughly chop the fruit.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
But that was us imposing our desired arc, which we all know doesn’t work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He certainly fits the desired physical profile but is relatively raw, having only established himself as a regular last season at Toulouse, where he scored seven goals in 31 appearances, 22 of them starts.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“A friend of mine desired me to offer—a story—just as an experiment—would like your opinion—be glad to write more if this suits.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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
Sure, I get it: If you’re reading this, then you and I could choose to congratulate ourselves for not actively desiring this outcome, and for doing whatever we did to prevent it.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
She had a predilection for painting women as modern, urban, desiring.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
We’ve talked about it before, of course, how Vivi thinks we’re stupid for not being able to resist the intensity of Faerie, for desiring to stay in a place of such danger.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
