lust

[luhst]

noun

1. intense sexual desire or appetite.

2. uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness.

3. a passionate or overmastering desire or craving (usually followed byfor ).

   a lust for power.

4. ardent enthusiasm; zest; relish.

   an enviable lust for life.

5. Obsolete.

   1. pleasure or delight.

   2. desire; inclination; wish.

verb (used without object)

1. to have intense sexual desire.

2. to have a yearning or desire; have a strong or excessive craving (often followed by for orafter ).

   Synonyms: yearn, covet, hunger, crave

lust

/ lʌst /

noun

1. a strong desire for sexual gratification

2. a strong desire or drive

verb

1. (intr; often foll by after or for) to have a lust (for)

Other Word Forms

• unlusting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lust¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English luste, Old English lust; cognate with Dutch, German Lust “pleasure, desire”; akin to Old Norse lyst “desire”; list ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of lust¹

Old English; related to Old High German lust desire, Old Norse losti sexual desire, Latin lascīvus playful, wanton, lustful. Compare _listless

Example Sentences

The young couple fall into lust, then love, over beers in a Latin American cowboy bar, Uyghur street food and then in a shabby basement apartment.

From Los Angeles Times

In the album’s focus track, “Montón,” an upbeat reggaeton track, the artist surrenders herself to the natural motions of love and lust.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet his behavior and policies — which are rooted in political sadism and a lust for unchecked power — tell a different story.

From Salon

Such a decision would be catastrophic, serving only a madman’s lust for power and revenge — and causing America’s democracy to cease to exist.

From Salon

Just as outside corporations extracted coal until the land and communities were depleted, outside political forces extracted votes with grand promises, acting in their lust for power, until the reservoir of trust was drained.

From Salon

Related Words

• craving 
• desire 
• excitement 
• fervor 
• greed 
• hunger 
• libido 
• longing 
• sensuality 
• thirst