English
desire
Pronunciation
  • (RP) enPR dĭ-zīrʹ, IPA: /dɪˈzaɪə/
  • (GA) enPR dĭ-zīrʹ, IPA: /dɪˈzaɪɹ/, /dɪˈzaɪɚ/, /diˈzaɪɹ/, /diˈzaɪɚ/
Verb

desire (desires, present participle desiring; past and past participle desired)

  1. To want; to wish for earnestly.
    I desire to speak with you.
    • Neither shall any man desire thy land.
    Ye desire your child to live.
  2. To put a request to (someone); to entreat.
    • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts XIII:
      And when they founde no cause of deeth in hym, yet desired they Pilate to kyll him.
  3. To want emotionally or sexually.
    She has desired him since they first met.
  4. To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, 2 Kings 4:28 ↗:
      Then shee said, Did I desire a sonne of my Lord ? did I not say, Doe not deceiue me?
      Desire him to go in; trouble him no more.
  5. To require; to demand; to claim.
    • A doleful case desires a doleful song.
  6. To miss; to regret.
    • She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when she dies.
Related terms Translations Translations Noun

desire (uncountable)

  1. (countable) Someone or something wished for.
    It is my desire to speak with you.
    You’re my heart’s desire.
  2. (uncountable) Strong attraction, particularly romantic or sexual.
    His desire for her kept him awake at night.
  3. (uncountable) The feeling of desiring; an eager longing for something.
    Too much desire can seriously affect one’s judgment.
  4. (uncountable) Motivation.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations Related terms

This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.005
Offline English dictionary