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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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:
Chancellor John Healey and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have both spoken of their desire for the benefits bill to come down, but the government has not yet laid out a timetable for any reductions.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Highlighting her desire to find a middle ground between the ECB's "hawks" -- who favour rate increases -- and "doves" who prefer looser policy, she described herself as an "owl".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
As another taxing year nears its end, the popularity of “You Can See Everything” reflects audiences’ desire to go deeper than the surface level most streaming documentaries are content to skim.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
While he has expressed a desire to lower costs, Becerra has released scant details about how he would do it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Sometimes I wonder if what I did later was merely because of Russell, or if I had some desire to punish Irene as well.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Algorithms were already predicting our tastes, needs and desires and serving us options before we asked for them.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Lorca is also so visceral, you can’t separate his desires from his art,” Guitarrica adds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 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
They have joys and desires, just not their former ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
My sort desires greatly your daughter’s hand, something like that.
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
Being a “permabull” and always betting on stocks is slightly better, because stocks go up more than they go down — but it still leaves a lot to be desired.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Asset-management firms are targeting the largely untapped market as their traditional, large investors—endowments, pension funds and foundations—max out their desired exposure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
It wasn’t fancy, and the furniture situation left something to be desired.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
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
The salesman, who was close to Hale, admitted that he had no proof of the debt and that he had simply desired his commission.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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
Sure, I get it: If you’re reading this, then you and I could choose to congratulate ourselves for not actively desiring this outcome, and for doing whatever we did to prevent it.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
She had a predilection for painting women as modern, urban, desiring.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
“She must feel very lonely without her son,” said Edna, desiring to change the subject.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
