craving

American

[krey-ving] / ˈkreɪ vɪŋ /

noun

great or eager desire; yearning.

craving British

/ ˈkreɪvɪŋ /

noun

an intense desire or longing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See desire.

Other Word Forms

cravingly adverb
cravingness noun
uncraving adjective
uncravingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of craving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; crave, -ing ¹

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.

In flashbacks — Ambrine Trigo-Ouaked portrays the younger Alpha — we see glimpses of affection for his adoring niece, but Rahim illustrates that Amin’s debilitating craving will always be his principal love.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

In the winter, my default craving is creamy.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

In fact, craving something sweet, I just grabbed a post-lunch packaged brownie from WSJ’s snack-food stash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

"Most people would have retired whereas I've still got the fire in my belly and I'm craving the challenge."

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

My stomach rumbles, and I suddenly have a craving for chicken curry.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023