thirst

1 of 2

noun

ˈthərst How to pronounce thirst (audio)
Synonyms of thirstnext
1
a
: a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that induces this sensation
b
: a desire or need to drink
2
: an ardent desire : craving, longing
a thirst for success

thirst

2 of 2

verb

thirsted; thirsting; thirsts

intransitive verb

1
: to feel thirsty : suffer thirst
2
: to crave vehemently and urgently
thirsted for revenge
thirsting
after justice
thirster noun

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for thirst

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 thirst in a Sentence

Noun his thirst for knowledge is evident in his book-filled house an unquenchable thirst for travel that has led her to the far corners of the globe Verb they have always thirsted for a more affluent lifestyle than their salaries would allow
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.
Noun
Inside the historic bungalow, satisfy your thirst with the blonde ale Luane, the amber ale Peggy or another pick from the four-to-six house beers on tap. —Kathryn Streeter, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025 In the movie, a masked man with an insatiable thirst for murder stalks babysitters on Halloween night. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
If so, good move on her part, and honestly, what’s more normal than a wife thirsting over her husband? —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Sep. 2025 Peter Bourque, on the other hand, was thirsting for a chance to immerse himself in it. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 11 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thirst

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English þurst, þrust, þirst, þrist, going back to Old English þurst, going back to Germanic *þurstu- (whence also West Frisian toarst "thirst," Old Saxon thurst, Old High German thurst, durst, beside an n-stem in Old Norse þorsti "thirst," Gothic þaurstei), going back to Indo-European *tr̥s-t- (whence also Old Irish tart "dryness, drought, thirst"), nominal derivative from a verbal base *ters- "dry up, become thirsty," whence Gothic gaþaursana "withered" (accusative plural participle, from a strong verb *gaþairsan "to wither," if not from gaþaursnan "to dry up, wither"), Greek térsomai, térsesthai "to become dry, dry up"; also from a present-tense formation *tr̥s-i̯e-, Old English þyrred "dried out," Gothic þaursjan "to be thirsty," Sanskrit tṛṣyati "(s/he) is thirsty"; from a causative *tors-éi̯e- Old High German derren "to make dry," Old Norse þerra, Latin torreō, torrēre "to heat so as to dry, scorch, parch, (of food) roast, bake," Sanskrit tarṣáyati "(s/he) makes thirsty," Hittite taršant- "drying"

Note: The noun thirst has lost etymological -u- in favor of the -i- spelling of the verb. Variation between -u- and -i- is already evident in Middle English, at a time when the vowels would still generally have been distinguished, along with metathetic variants with the vowel following r. The spelling thurst is not infrequent in the seventeenth century, though Samuel Johnson's dictionary (1755) only acknowledges thirst.

Verb

Middle English þirsten, þristen, thrusten "to suffer from thirst, be thirsty (in impersonal me thirsteth "I am thirsty"), going back to Old English þyrstan, going back to Germanic *þurstjan- (whence also Old Saxon thurstian "to be thirsty," Old High German thursten, dursten, Old Norse þyrsta), verbal derivative of *þurstu- "thirst" — more at thirst entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

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

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

Phrases Containing thirst

Rhymes for thirst

See All Rhymes for thirst

Browse Nearby Words

thirlage
thirst
thirstily
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Cite this Entry

“Thirst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thirst. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

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Kids Definition

thirst

1 of 2 noun
ˈthərst How to pronounce thirst (audio)
1
a
: a feeling of dryness in the mouth and throat that accompanies a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that causes thirst
b
: a strong desire to drink
2
: a strong desire : craving
a thirst for fame

thirst

2 of 2 verb
1
: to feel thirsty
2
: to have a strong desire : crave

Medical Definition

thirst

noun
ˈthərst How to pronounce thirst (audio)
: a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids
also : the bodily condition (as of dehydration) that induces this sensation

More from Merriam-Webster on thirst

Nglish: Translation of thirst for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about thirst

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