hanker
verb
han·ker
| \ ˈhaŋ-kər
\
\
hankered;
hankering\ ˈhaŋ-k(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Definition of hanker
: to have a strong or persistent desire : yearn
—often used with for or after
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Other Words from hanker
hankerer
\ ˈhaŋ-kər-ər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of hanker in a Sentence
By the middle of the winter, they were hankering for a warm day.
Recent Examples on the Web
Here’s hoping our children and grandchildren will be smarter the next time the Broncos come around, with a hankering to build a new stadium. — Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, "Kickin’ It with Kiz: Did it require prodding from Uncle Vic Fangio for John Elway to admit his past NFL draft sins?," 7 Sep. 2019 Gaunt and weather-beaten, the 32-year-old Raulino is hankering for a cigarette, coffee, and a meal. — Deanna Pan, BostonGlobe.com, "A day at South Station: A gateway to Boston, an intersection of many different lives," 17 Aug. 2019 That still wasn't enough to satisfy Americans' hankering for slow-cooked brisket. — Sarah Min, CBS News, "Brisket prices soar on growing appetite for barbecue," 2 Aug. 2019 With their second daughter packing off for college this fall, a couple in their early 50s hankered for a whole new lifestyle. — courant.com, "Smart Moves: Find a neighborhood that supports your ideal lifestyle," 1 Aug. 2019 To chase those aspirations, Cleveland refurbished its bench with champions like Kendrick Perkins and Mike Miller, rather than replenishing its roster with hungry veterans still hankering for that first taste of a deep postseason run. — Jake Fischer, SI.com, "How David Griffin Rebuilt the Pelicans and His World," 1 Aug. 2019 Still hankering for more details about the second fundraising quarter? — NBC News, "Five things to watch for in the next Democratic debates," 19 July 2019 In contrast to North America, which is home to bears and wolves, the island of Tierra del Fuego has very few natural predators that hanker after beaver meat. — Luján Agusti, National Geographic, "Argentina brought beavers to Tierra del Fuego. It was not a good idea.," 25 July 2019 Prime Day is also a great time to buy anything you’ve been hankering after that Amazon itself makes. — Mike Murphy, Quartz, "Everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2019," 12 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hanker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for hanker
hanker
verb
English Language Learners Definition of hanker
informal + old-fashioned
: to have a strong or constant desire for something
See the full definition for hanker in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hanker
verb
han·ker
| \ ˈhaŋ-kər
\
\
hankered;
hankering
Kids Definition of hanker
: to have a great desire
I'm hankering for chocolate.