# craving

/ˈkɹeɪvɪŋ/ (US) · /kɹˈeɪvɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/craving
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. strong desire

noun · CEFR B1

a powerful feeling that you want or need something very much.

For teachers: an intense, urgent desire or yearning for something specific.

- During her pregnancy, she had a strange craving for pickles and ice cream.
- The patient reported a persistent craving for nicotine, which made the initial stages of the smoking cessation programme particularly challenging.

Usage: Commonly followed by the preposition 'for'.

## Examples

- I have a craving for chocolate.
- She developed a sudden craving for pickles during her first trimester of pregnancy.
- The late-night craving for salty snacks often signals a need for rest rather than a genuine hunger for sodium.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.