lust

1 of 2

noun

ˈləst 

1

: usually intense or unbridled sexual desire : lasciviousness

He was motivated more by lust than by love.

2

a

: an intense longing : craving

a lust to succeed

b

: enthusiasm, eagerness

admired his lust for life

3

obsolete

a

: pleasure, delight

b

: personal inclination : wish

lust

2 of 2

verb

lusted; lusting; lusts

intransitive verb

: to have an intense desire or need : crave

specifically : to have a sexual urge

Synonyms

Noun

• ardor
• concupiscence
• eros
• eroticism
• horniness
• itch
• lustfulness
• passion

Verb

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

Examples of lust in a Sentence

Noun

He was consumed by lust.

He was driven by a lust for power.

Lust for chocolate drew her into the candy store.

Verb

I'm lusting after that new SUV

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Love, lust, and vulnerability have become signature themes for Hunxho, who hails from North Carolina but was raised in East Atlanta. —Yoh Phillips, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024

Like Water for Chocolate is a melodrama in the best possible sense of the word—a larger-than-life historical epic of love and lust, birth and death, duty and destiny. —Judy Berman, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

So far this year, there’ve been sumptuous suede blazers and preppy barn jackets to lust after. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024

In the final, deeply melancholy scene, his helpless love — and perhaps lust — for another man leads to tragedy, but even that tragedy has a strange romance to it that remains genuinely moving. —Christina Newland, Vulture, 15 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lust pleasure and perhaps to Latin lascivus wanton

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lust

• lust for life

Kids Definition

lust

1 of 2 noun

ˈləst 

1

: sexual desire especially if strong or uncontrolled

2

: a strong longing : craving

lust

2 of 2 verb

: to have a strong desire : crave

especially : to have a strong sexual desire