craving
Americannoun
-
cravings
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See desire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of craving
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at crave, -ing 1
Explanation
A craving is an intense desire for something really particular. If you have a craving for pickled herring, a tuna sandwich just won't do. Must. Have. Pickled. Herring. Craving is the noun that comes from the verb crave, which comes from the Old English word crafian, meaning "to demand, beg." When we talk about cravings, it's almost like the body and not the mind that is demanding something. Pregnant women famously have crazy cravings, sending their partners to the store in the middle of the night for pickles or toffee. Some people have cravings for power or fame: the desire is so strong they can't let it go.
Vocabulary lists containing craving
Eat Your Words
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Sugar Changed the World
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The Tale of Despereaux
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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:
“I don’t have a great sense of whether he understands how much the market is craving that kind of information.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Ingredients that can head in several directions once they meet heat, a pantry and whatever you happen to be craving that evening.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
But arrive on the later side, and you might see a different crowd showing up—drawn not by Japanese-Californian seafood dishes, but by a craving for something sweet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
If not tacos, I’ll maybe be craving some Thai food.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
For an instant I felt a pang, picturing myself in Tokyo or Timbuktu, craving one of my aunts peach pies.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
After nine months of taking it in cycles, he says his cravings for sugar and junk food have gone.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Regular activity can also help regulate appetite and blood glucose, which may help reduce cravings and limit overeating.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Gordon tried Prozac, which she says did nothing to calm her cravings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Beware of coffee enemas,” reads the subject line of a post from a woman who did them regularly for a decade and reports feelings of exhaustion, spaciness and cravings when she tries to stop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
In any case, his cravings, although intense, never relished physical contact.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
