yearn

verb

yearned; yearning; yearns

intransitive verb

1
: to long persistently, wistfully, or sadly
yearns to make a difference
2
: to feel tenderness or compassion
yearner noun
yearningly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for yearn

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 yearn in a Sentence

yearned for a little house in the country
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Meanwhile, the men featured in Daughters aren’t reduced to their crimes or sentences, but are shown as fathers who have made mistakes yet still yearn to be present in their family’s lives. Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025 More than half of the total Sahrawi population remains stuck in refugee camps, yearning for a homeland that, by now, many young Sahrawis have never even set foot in. Hannah Rae Armstrong, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2025 But there is a small but vocal minority who do not like the trend, constantly yearning (on Reddit, on X/Twitter, in my YouTube video comment section) for the days of a sub-6-inch phone. Ben Sin, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025 But the constituency will always yearn for a return to the club banger. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for yearn

Word History

Etymology

Middle English yernen, from Old English giernan; akin to Old High German gerōn to desire, Latin hortari to urge, encourage, Greek chairein to rejoice

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of yearn was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yearn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yearn. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

yearn

verb
1
: to desire eagerly
2
: to feel tenderness or sympathy
yearner noun

More from Merriam-Webster on yearn

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