desire
Use Desire in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to wish or long for; crave; want.
2.
to express a wish to obtain; ask for; request: The mayor desires your presence at the next meeting.
noun
3.
a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment: a desire for fame.
4.
an expressed wish; request.
5.
something desired.
6.
sexual appetite or a sexual urge.
00:10
Desire
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
Related forms
de·sired·ness, noun
de·sire·less, adjective
de·sir·er, noun
de·sir·ing·ly, adverb
Synonyms
1. covet, fancy. See wish. 2. solicit. 3. aspiration, hunger, appetite, thirst. 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.
1. covet, fancy. See wish. 2. solicit. 3. aspiration, hunger, appetite, thirst. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Desire
Collins
World English Dictionary
desire (dɪˈzaɪə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to wish or long for; crave; want |
| 2. | to express a wish or make a request for; ask for |
| —n | |
| 3. | a wish or longing; craving |
| 4. | an expressed wish; request |
| 5. | sexual appetite; lust |
| 6. | a person or thing that is desired |
| Related: orectic | |
| [C13: from Old French desirer, from Latin dēsīderāre to desire earnestly; see | |
| de'sirer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
desire
early 13c., from O.Fr. desirer, from L. desiderare "long for, wish for," original sense perhaps "await what the stars will bring," from the phrase de sidere "from the stars," from sidus (gen. sideris) "heavenly body, star, constellation" (but see consider). Noun sense of
"lust" is first recorded mid-14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
All you need is 2-6 players and an unfaltering desire to liberate the planet.
They have expressed a desire to look at some issues of importance to the higher-education community.
These are descriptions that teach us something about desire.
She kindled in their tender breasts a vehement desire, not of the show of virtue, but to become truly virtuous.
Idioms & Phrases
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Related Questions
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
