thirst

American  

[thurst] / θɜrst /

noun

1. a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by need of liquid.

2. the physical condition resulting from this need, in any of various degrees.

   They almost died of thirst.

3. strong or eager desire; craving.

   a thirst for knowledge.

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verb (used without object)

1. to feel thirst; be thirsty.

2. to have a strong desire.

thirst British  

/ θɜːst /

noun

1. a craving to drink, accompanied by a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat

2. an eager longing, craving, or yearning

   a thirst for knowledge

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verb

1. (intr) to feel a thirst

   to thirst for a drink

   to thirst after righteousness

Other Word Forms

• thirster
  noun
• unthirsting
  adjective

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

But if you thirst for a sober-minded investigation into this ominous tool — one with an approach that treats you like the intelligent being you are — you’ll have to wait for AI doc 2.0.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Perhaps the spluttering German economy and its current thirst for US energy were on Merz's mind.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

But the brain’s task is merely to keep us alive by reading “body-to-brain signals” such as hunger and thirst: The nervous system evolved to “mind the body.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Juggling rapid growth and investors’ thirst for profit isn’t easy, either.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

Their last night of thirst and bland journey food and aching buttocks and saddle chafe and dry bathing and grit in every crease of cloth and flesh.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• appetite
• desire
• eagerness
• hankering
• hunger
• longing
• lust
• passion
• yearning