1
: usually intense or unbridled sexual desire : lasciviousness
He was motivated more by lust than by love.
2
a
: an intense longing : craving
a lust to succeed
b
: enthusiasm, eagerness
admired his lust for life
lusted; lusting; lusts
: to have an intense desire or need : crave
specifically
: to have a sexual urge
Synonyms
Noun
Verb
Examples of lust in a Sentence
Noun
He was consumed by lust.
He was driven by a lust for power.
Lust for chocolate drew her into the candy store.
Verb
I'm lusting after that new SUV
Recent Examples on the Web
Talya Zax, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
But Mary is also a Schrödinger’s bride, trapped in a fraught, unconsummated lust affair with Steve, who wants to marry her instead of Fran.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2024
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Consumer experts say that while the exact items Gen Z is lusting after will change over time—as new products launch and economic factors around them shift—their spending priorities are likely to stay the same.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lust 
Noun
Shakespeare was a master of depicting the kinds of universal experiences — lust, betrayal, self-disgust, fear — that might preoccupy a young literary-minded student.
—Talya Zax, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
But Mary is also a Schrödinger’s bride, trapped in a fraught, unconsummated lust affair with Steve, who wants to marry her instead of Fran.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Alas, Astrov and Vanya are both lusting after Elena (Rose), the knockout younger wife of Alexander (Alfred Molina), an ailing professor who owns the countryside manor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Consumer experts say that while the exact items Gen Z is lusting after will change over time—as new products launch and economic factors around them shift—their spending priorities are likely to stay the same.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for lust
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Lust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lust. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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