MEANING
To want something with strong, persistent desire.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- crave attention
- crave reassurance
On the page
He craved reassurance but could not ask for it.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- crave
- Past tense
- craved
- Past participle
- craved
- Present participle
- craving
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- crave
- Present continuous
- am/is/are craving
- Present perfect
- have/has craved
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been craving
- Past
- craved
- Past continuous
- was/were craving
- Past perfect
- had craved
- Past perfect continuous
- had been craving
- Future
- will crave
- Future continuous
- will be craving
- Future perfect
- will have craved
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been craving
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: crave; craves; craved; craved; craving Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: craves.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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