hanker

American

[hang-ker] / ˈhæŋ kər /

verb (used without object)

to have a restless or incessant longing (often followed by after, for, or an infinitive).

hanker British

/ ˈhæŋkə /

verb

to have a yearning (for something or to do something)

"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 yearn.

Other Word Forms

hankerer noun
hankering noun

Etymology

Origin of hanker

First recorded in 1595–1605; from early Dutch dialect hankeren (cognate with Dutch hunkeren ), frequentative of hangen “to hang”; hang

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.

Last spring, the Midwest transplant was hankering to see some wildflowers.

From Los Angeles Times

Why she hankered to be a teacher, I couldn’t tell you.

From Literature

We do often hanker to leave town on multimonth adventures that break us out of our routines.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’ve got a hankering for your good fried chicken,” I told my aunt.

From Literature

The pandemic isn’t over but we can at least perceive its end; we’ve also long accepted the fact that we’re stupid and contagious, but also bored and antsy and hankering for excitement.

From Salon

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