craving
Americannoun
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:
In my house, focaccia is almost a catch-all format for any ingredient I’m craving or trying to get rid of.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Quazza sees a generation "really craving that connectedness...and that's what draws many people to the kitchen."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
But there's another alternative for anyone craving a live music fix, and it's right on your doorstep.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
What advice might you have for folks who recognize that they’re craving something different from how they’re presently experiencing their day-to-day realities but can’t see how to change it?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
Yet there was little he could do to satisfy his craving.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
For people who’ve struggled with restrictive eating and anorexia, the drugs’ help with appetite, cravings and satiety can be a tantalizing—and dangerous—proposition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She says she struggles with overeating and cravings during her period.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 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
Once back in Chicago, I realized I had two immediate cravings: I wanted to sit outside, and I was hungry in the way people become hungry after spending several days in someone else’s kitchen.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
Despite their cool poses they wear their cravings on the outside, like the suckers on a squid.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
