yearn

CEFRB2

/jɜːn/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To want something very strongly, especially something difficult to have.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    Of music, words, etc.: to express strong desire or longing.

Examples

  • People everywhere yearn for public leaders dedicated to world peace.

  • All I yearn for is a simple life.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To have a strong desire for something or to do something; to long for or to do something.

  2. To have strong feelings of affection, love, sympathy, etc., toward someone.

  3. Often followed by out: to perform (music) which conveys or say (words) which express strong desire or longing.

More examples

In context

  • I yearn for victory.

  • I muſt do that my heart-ſtrings yern to do: but my word's paſt.

  • You are now before my eyes, my eyes that are ready to flow with tenderness, but cannot give relief to my gushing heart, that dictates what I am now saying, and yearns to tell you all its achings.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After living abroad for years, she began to blank for her home country's food.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

The verb is derived from Middle English yernen, yern (“to express or feel desire; to desire, long or wish for; to lust after; to ask or demand for”) [and other forms], from Old English ġeornan (“to desire, yearn; to beg”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *girnijan (“to be eager for, desire”), from Proto-Germanic *girnijaną (“to desire, want”), from *gernaz (“eager, willing”) (from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to yearn for”)) + *-janą (suffix forming factitive verbs from adjectives). The noun is derived from the verb.