hanker

American  

[hang-ker] / ˈhæŋ kər /

verb (used without object)

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

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hanker British  

/ ˈhæŋkə /

verb

1. to have a yearning (for something or to do something)

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Related Words

See yearn.

Other Word Forms

• hankerer noun
• hankering noun

Etymology

Origin of hanker

First recorded in 1595–1605; from early Dutch dialect hankeren (cognate with Dutch hunkeren ), frequentative of hangen “to hang”; hang

Example Sentences

I didn’t understand then that it is possible to hanker deeply after something that is neither pretty nor useful, just because of the person who once used it.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s enough to make a reader hanker for a volume devoted to the director’s long working relationship with Head or for a filmography refracted through the actresses he obsessed over and glorified.

From The Wall Street Journal

The trend toward extravagance dovetailed nicely with the emergence of baby boomers and older Gen X–ers with more disposable income, the hankering for less-traveled international locales and a generational shift toward more creature comforts.

From MarketWatch

Later in her career, she was, all too often, called upon to play "dragons" and "old bags" when she hankered after more glamorous roles.

From BBC

Customers, he insisted, still hankered after the noise and fury of a conventional motor.

From BBC

Related Words

• crave
• itch
• yearn