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desire

[dih-zahyuhr] / dɪˈzaɪər /




VERB
ask, request
Synonyms
Antonyms
STRONG
WEAK
not want


Usage

What are other ways to say desire? Desire, a formal verb, suggests a strong wish: They desire liberation. Wish implies the feeling of an impulse toward attainment or possession of something; the strength of the feeling may be of greater or lesser intensity: I wish I could go home. Want, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment: People all over the world want peace.

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.

I assumed nostalgia was fueling the desire to give these Golden Age musicals a makeover.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

“I share your desire to move forward with a fresh page, and I want to ensure I continue to engage with that spirit.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

There is also a desire to keep the wage bill manageable.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

And NextEra has expertise in building solar, wind and battery storage installations that data centers desire.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

But try as she might to care about the elaborate feast they had planned in her honor, she could not shake the desperate desire to be anywhere else.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny




Vocabulary lists containing desire


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