definitions

hanker

[ hang-ker ]
/ ˈhæŋ kər /
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verb (used without object)

to have a restless or incessant longing (often followed by after, for, or an infinitive).

RELATED WORDS

yearn, crave, itch, yen, wish, covet, hunger, pine, lust, long, want, sigh, ache, thirst

Nearby words

hangzhou bay, hania, hanifah, haniwa, hank, hanker, hankering, hankou, hankow, hanks, hanky

Origin of hanker

1595–1605; < early Dutch dialect hankeren (cognate with Dutch hunkeren), frequentative of hangen to hang

Related forms

han·ker·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hanker

British Dictionary definitions for hanker

hanker

/ (ˈhæŋkə) /

verb

(foll by for, after, or an infinitive) to have a yearning (for something or to do something)

Derived Forms

hankering, noun

Word Origin for hanker

C17: probably from Dutch dialect hankeren
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