MEANING
To feel a continuing wish for something absent or unavailable.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- hanker after freedom
- hanker for home
On the page
She hankered for the quiet of the old house.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- hanker
- Past tense
- hankered
- Past participle
- hankered
- Present participle
- hankering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- hanker
- Present continuous
- am/is/are hankering
- Present perfect
- have/has hankered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been hankering
- Past
- hankered
- Past continuous
- was/were hankering
- Past perfect
- had hankered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been hankering
- Future
- will hanker
- Future continuous
- will be hankering
- Future perfect
- will have hankered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been hankering
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: hanker; hankers; hankered; hankered; hankering 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: hankers.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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