Craving Meaning
/ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA strong desire; yearning.
verbpresent participle and gerund of crave
Sentence Examples
I have a craving for fresh fruit.
I suddenly got a craving to eat some crisp roast chicken skin.
Tom has a craving for chocolate ice cream.
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After her strict diet, she had an intense ____ for a thick chocolate milkshake.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English cravinge, from Old English crafing (“claim, demand”); equivalent to crave + -ing.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[W]e contrived to satisfy the cravings of thirst by suffering the shirts to become saturated, and then wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle into our mouths."
— 1838, [Edgar Allan Poe], chapter XIII, in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, pages 122–123:
"The craving for cuteness is a psychological phenomenon that originally had the purpose of increasing the chances of a baby to survive […]"
— 2007, Christine Locher, The Cult of Cuteness in Japanese Youth Culture, page 13:
"The list of potential victories you could achieve with your reset is long, and it includes a fafillion wins that have nothing to do with the scale: Fewer blemishes. Thicker hair. Less join pain. Reduced cravings. No midday energy slump."
— 2016, Melissa Hartwig, Food Freedom Forever:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After her strict diet, she had an intense ____ for a thick chocolate milkshake.