- present participle of hanker.
hankering
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hankering
Explanation
A hankering is a strong desire for something. If you have a hankering for pizza, you really want some pizza. This is a folksy, informal word that means about the same thing as yearning. When you have a hankering, you want something. Often, people use this word for food, as in "I have a hankering for sushi!" You could have a hankering for football season, a new pair of shoes, or a trip to the beach. Anything you want could spawn a hankering. This word is related to a sense of hanker that means to want or crave something.
Vocabulary lists containing hankering
An Excerpt from "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
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Native Son
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Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece
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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.
Under the guise of official business but with a journalist’s hankering for a lead, he interviews relatives and past neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Fans have been hankering for a follow-up to GTA 5 after it was released back in 2013, and became one of the best-selling games of all time.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
The stories frame the all-consuming desire for retaliation as an integral aspect of our mortal lives; no one gets out without hankering for a bit of vengeance.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
It’s the absolute goal of every resort operator to satisfy that hankering.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026
“Well, I suppose I best be on my way. I ain’t got no hankering to interrupt any more learning!”
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
