hanker

verb

han·​ker ˈhaŋ-kər 

hankered; hankering ˈhaŋ-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to have a strong or persistent desire : yearn

—often used with for or after

hankerer

ˈhaŋ-kər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• hunger (for)
• itch (for)
• jones (for) [slang]
• long (for)
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• pine (for)
• repine (for)
• salivate (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• want
• wish (for)
• yearn (for)
• yen (for)

Choose the Right Synonym for hanker

long, yearn, hanker, pine, hunger, thirst mean to have a strong desire for something.

long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own

thirsted for power

Examples of hanker in a Sentence

By the middle of the winter, they were hankering for a warm day.

Recent Examples on the Web

If that’s the start-up tale, the backstory is that after a successful decade building an acting career, Norton also hankered for something else. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2024

Wall Street has been hankering after a rate cut since late last year, tired of borrowing costs remaining above average and consumers being continually squeezed as the base rate stayed at a two-decade high. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Aug. 2024

Perhaps more concerning, an outdoor stairwell connecting the dining hall to a residential zone is far too narrow; athletes, some very large and hankering for a meal, have to squeeze by each other in what should be a one-way path. —Sean Gregory / Saint-Denis, TIME, 24 July 2024

Whether classic or contemporary, these outdoor perches from nine architects and designers from the AD PRO Directory will leave you hankering for sunny weather all year long. —Alia Akkam, Architectural Digest, 17 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from Dutch dialect hankeren

First Known Use

1627, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hanker

verb

han·​ker ˈhaŋ-kər 

hankered; hankering -k(ə-)riŋ 

: to have an eager or continual desire

hanker after fame

hankerer

-kər-ər 

noun