thirst
Americannoun
-
thirsts
plural
-
a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by need of liquid.
-
the physical condition resulting from this need, in any of various degrees.
They almost died of thirst.
-
strong or eager desire; craving.
a thirst for knowledge.
verb (used without object)
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thirsts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thirsted,
past participle, past
-
thirsting
present participle
-
to feel thirst; be thirsty.
-
to have a strong desire.
noun
-
a craving to drink, accompanied by a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat
-
an eager longing, craving, or yearning
a thirst for knowledge
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
thirstsimple
-
thirstssimple
-
have thirstedperfect
-
has thirstedperfect
-
am thirstingprogressive
-
are thirstingprogressive
-
is thirstingprogressive
-
have been thirstingperfect progressive
-
has been thirstingperfect progressive
Past
-
thirstedsimple
-
had thirstedperfect
-
was thirstingprogressive
-
were thirstingprogressive
-
had been thirstingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thirst
before 900; Middle English thirsten (v.), Old English thyrstan, derivative of thurst (noun); cognate with Dutch dorst, German Durst, Old Norse thorsti, Gothic thaurstei; noun has -i- from the v. or from thirsty; see toast 1
Explanation
Thirst is the sensation of needing or wanting to drink something. Use the same word whether you're talking about your thirst for lemonade on a hot day or the dire thirst of someone lost in a desert without water. At its most serious, thirst can be compared to starvation: "The water shortage is leading to extreme thirst in the poorest parts of the country." You can also use this word for a much milder need, like your cousin's seemingly endless thirst for root beer. Figuratively, to thirst for something is to desire it strongly: "Her thirst for knowledge means she stays up late reading the encyclopedia."
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:
It’s almost like there’s an unlimited thirst from anyone in her proximity to lay down their own brush with the incomprehensible at her feet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
It feels misguided to turn public figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci or Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., into heroes or thirst traps just for doing their jobs.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
"When I met him, I could see a real author's style in him and I've always sensed in him an obsession with becoming a writer and a thirst for reading," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Large crowds are also due at other stages in the Pope's itinerary, reflecting an enthusiasm that the Church attributes to growing spiritual thirst among the French and other Europeans.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
They set the arch-sinner in a pool in Hades, but whenever in his tormenting thirst he stooped to drink he could not reach the water.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
And one which has a big job ahead: Taking the food orders and quenching the thirsts of millions of visitors who will flock to the Paris Olympics this July.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2024
The half-inch-long insects are destructive agricultural pests because of their unquenchable thirsts and splashy bathroom habits: when nature calls, these bugs launch droplets of their watery pee and create puddles of disease-causing waste.
From Scientific American ● Feb. 28, 2023
Their reservoir partially inside the Holy Cross Wilderness, between Leadville and Minturn, would sacrifice natural processes for the purpose of sustaining population growth and a development boom - harnessing nature to slake human thirsts.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 13, 2020
Jason Sudeikis is all charm in a bottle and Jason Mantzoukas has his wild-man persona, and yet both satisfy our varied thirsts.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2019
They all rested like that, absolutely quiet, drinking more slowly now that their thirsts had been quenched, eyes vaguely fixed on shadow-casting objects downhill.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
The move comes, again, as the Lakers have thirsted for some kind of consistency, a quest that’s been undone by injuries and an ongoing search for five Lakers that can consistently play with positive results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024
And yet we found shelter within it, we pondered our lives and the lives of others, thirsted, slept.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 19, 2022
Chinese officials have openly thirsted for him to be punished.
From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2020
America, it seems, has always thirsted for fake news.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 28, 2017
“How is he?” she asked, forgetting we thirsted for news.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
I saw thousands of Saudi men and women, young and old, thirsting for the sort of recreation that until very recently they had to travel abroad to enjoy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
"That two undocumented migrants were the only ones who physically risked themselves to help the victim of a pack thirsting for horror leaves much food for thought and a series of lessons," Mayor Rey said.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025
“I wasn’t campaigning for it, but I was thirsting for something different, completely removed from the work I had been doing up to that point,” Jenkins said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
After all the uncertainty of the pandemic, people are thirsting to hear a cause, a vision, a plan for moving on.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2023
We slipped in and out of wakefulness, wincing at the soreness in our muscles, and thirsting for more of that tart lemonade.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
