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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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
His travels sparked a desire to invest outside the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Xuan and Zhang’s desire to have a large family stemmed from their experiences in China, according to Krems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Politics has become so angry and nasty. This is something that’s aspirational for folks,” he said, referring to Americans’ desire for homeownership.
From MarketWatch ● 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
Great Britain’s desire to find what became known as the “Arctic Grail,” became so intense that between 1818 and 1850 dozens of Passage-seeking expeditions were sent into the frozen North.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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
Many of the young people attending daytimers gigs were moving between the expectations of family and community and the desires of a younger generation testing out music, fashion, friendship and independence on its own terms.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 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
There was the time, for instance, when a friend was mulling over a family challenge, and I thought I had the absolute perfect solution for juggling her personal desires with her caregiving commitments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
It was as if all the pent-up desires of my childless days were now bearing fruit.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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
Under conditions where local pH differences were not effectively controlled, approximately 16% of the relevant products formed were the desired target compound.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
As a result, he says, "I think readers are coming to value very obviously personal writing, and maybe even writing that's messier, less structurally sound or composed or perfected, than they maybe once would've desired."
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 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
“It was the bell of Madame la Princesse Dragomiroff. She desired me to summon her maid.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
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
The chronicler Froissart records that both sides saw clearly the Bohemian was at fault, but the French, not desiring to provoke the English during a lull in the Hundred Years’ War, grudgingly excused his behavior.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
But Southwest said it had listened to customers who sought more options, often desiring more comfortable, premium seats when they took longer flights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2024
Elévée picked at the short sleeve of her school uniform, evidently not desiring to talk about fashion.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
