lust

[ luhst ]

noun

1. intense sexual desire or appetite.
2. uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness.
3. a passionate or overmastering desire or craving (usually followed by for ):

   a lust for power.

4. ardent enthusiasm; zest; relish:

   an enviable lust for life.

5. Obsolete.
   1. pleasure or delight.
   2. desire; inclination; wish.

verb (used without object)

1. to have intense sexual desire.
2. to have a yearning or desire; have a strong or excessive craving (often followed by for or after ).

   Synonyms: yearn, covet, hunger, crave

lust

/ lʌst /

noun

1. a strong desire for sexual gratification
2. a strong desire or drive

verb

1. intr; often foll by after or for to have a lust (for)

Other Words From

• un·lusting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lust¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English luste, Old English lust; cognate with Dutch, German Lust “pleasure, desire”; akin to Old Norse lyst “desire”; list ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of lust¹

Old English; related to Old High German lust desire, Old Norse losti sexual desire, Latin lascīvus playful, wanton, lustful. Compare listless

Example Sentences

“The less you lust, I should say.”

From Los Angeles Times

The only housemate who abstained from such contests is Laszlo Cravensworth, Matt Berry's comically pompous aristocrat who’d rather focus all his lust on his "lady wife" Nadja and other more noble hobbies.

From Salon

She worked, for instance, with David Lynch on “Twin Peaks,” and Ang Lee on “Lust, Caution.”

From Los Angeles Times

We listened to him lust after the power held by autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Xi Jinping.

From Slate

"Sliced up eyeballs" and "goats of lust" aren't traditionally the sort of images that help your toddler drift off to sleep.

From BBC

Related Words

• covet
• crave
• hanker
• itch
• yearn