desire
[verb]
Synonyms:
- want, crave, hanker after, hope for, long for, set one's heart on, thirst for, wish for, yearn for
[noun]
Synonyms:
- wish, aspiration, craving, hankering, hope, longing, thirst, want
- lust, appetite, libido, passion

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Antonyms: distaste
Contrasted words: abhorrence, repellency, repugnance, repulsion, aversion, disfavor, dislike, abhor, abominate, detest, hate, loath, decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn
Related Idioms: set one's eyes (or heart) upon
Related Words: hankering, hunger, hungering, longing, pining, thirst, thirsting, yearning, desideratum, desiderium, avarice, cupidity, greed, rapacity, concupiscence, eros, hanker, long, pine, yearn, enjoy, fancy, like, aim, aspire, pant

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. de‧sire¹ W2 /dɪˈzaɪə $ -ˈzaɪr/ noun
[Word Family: noun: desirability, desire; adjective: desirable ≠ undesirable, desired ≠ UNDESIRED; verb: desire; adverb: desirably]

1. [uncountable and countable] a strong hope or wish
desire to do something
a strong desire to win
desire for
a desire for knowledge
desire that
It was Harold’s desire that he should be buried next to his wife.
express/show a desire
She expressed a desire to visit us.
have no desire to do something (=used to emphasize that you do not want to do something)
I have no desire to cause any trouble.
overwhelming/burning desire (=very strong desire)
Paul had a burning desire to visit India.

2. [uncountable] formal a strong wish to have sex with someone:
female sexual desire
desire for
He tried to hide his desire for her.
⇒ your heart’s desire at heart(24)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. desire² verb [transitive not in progressive]
[Word Family: noun: desirability, desire; adjective: desirable ≠ undesirable, desired ≠ UNDESIRED; verb: desire; adverb: desirably]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: desirer, from Latin desiderare, from sidus 'star' (perhaps from the idea of 'wishing on a star')]

1. formal to want something very much:
The hotel has everything you could possibly desire.
desire to do something
He desired to return to Mexico.
Add lemon juice if desired.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say want rather than desire, although the meaning of desire is stronger than want:
You can have anything you want.
I wanted to meet her.

2. literary to want to have sex with someone
—desired adjective:
His remarks had the desired effect.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

desire
noun
ADJ. burning, deep, great, strong, urgent | insatiable, overwhelming Most children have an insatiable desire for knowledge.
genuine, real | natural | sexual
VERB + DESIRE feel, have I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to laugh
express The chairman expressed his desire to expand the company.
satisfy | be motivated by They were motivated by a deep desire for money and fame.
PREP. ~ for Horses need to satisfy their desire for space and freedom.
PHRASES an object of desire He felt he was nothing more to her than an object of desire.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

desire
verb
ADV. greatly, really, sincerely, very much A home of her own was something she had always very much desired.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

desire

great/strong
His one great desire in life was to own a Mercedes.
The desire was too strong to resist.
overwhelming (=so strong that it takes control of you )
He felt an overwhelming desire for a cigarette.
deep/fierce (=very great)
The people of the village had a deep desire for revenge.
a genuine/real desire
All her life she had a genuine desire to help the poor.
a natural desire
Kids have a natural desire to find out about new things.
a burning desire (=an extremely strong desire)
She had a burning desire to pack her case and leave.
an insatiable desire (=a desire that cannot be satisfied)
She had an insatiable desire for publicity.
have a desire
Milly had a sudden strong desire to laugh.
express a desire
Many political leaders have expressed their desire for peace.
show a desire (also indicate a desire formal)
He had shown no desire to get involved in the project.
satisfy/fulfil a desire
Companies aim to satisfy people's desire for variety.
have no desire to do something (=used to emphasize that you do not want to do something)
It was raining outside and I had no desire to go out.
an object of desire (=someone or something you want very much)
The store provides cheese lovers with the object of their desire.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

desire
I.
noun
1.
BAD: My desire is to become a successful business manager.
GOOD: My ambition is to become a successful business manager.

Usage Note:
When you are talking about something very important that you want to achieve, use aim or ambition : 'Her ambition is to represent her country in the Olympic Games.' 'Our ultimate aim is to find a cure for the disease.'

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2.
BAD: I have always had a strong desire of becoming somebody.
GOOD: I have always had a strong desire to become somebody.

Usage Note:
a desire to do sth (NOT of doing ): 'She has no desire to travel and prefers to stay at home.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

desire
II.
verb
BAD: Despite all my money, I desired to live in an ordinary house.
GOOD: Despite all my money, I wanted to live in an ordinary house.
BAD: I desire that world peace will continue for ever.
GOOD: I hope that world peace will continue for ever.

Usage Note:
In the meaning 'want/wish', desire is usually used as a noun (NOT as a verb): 'His one desire was to live to see his three grandchildren again.' 'I have no desire to go there again. Once is enough.' Note however that this usage is fairly formal.
As a verb meaning 'want/wish', desire is used mainly in literary styles: 'For the first time in her life, she had everything her heart desired.' In other styles, use verbs such as want, would like, hope, wish, intend, etc.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲