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yearnto have a strong feeling of wishing for something, especially something difficult to get

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to have a strong feeling of wishing for something, especially something difficult to get

Pronunciation (IPA): /jɜːrn/

Example Sentences

  • The office worker yearns for Friday afternoon like a cat yearns for tuna.
  • Students yearn for the day when homework will do itself.
  • After months abroad, he yearned to taste his grandmother's cooking again.

yearn

VERB

[/jɜːrn/]

to have a strong feeling of wishing for something, especially something difficult to get

Standing in the freezing snow, the hungry boy could only yearn for the warm bread inside the bakery window.
💡 Concept

Standing in the freezing snow, the hungry boy could only yearn for the warm bread inside the bakery window.

YEAR(year) + N(night) — for a whole YEAR, every Night, the lonely soldier continued to yearn for his family.
🧠 Mnemonic

YEAR(year) + N(night) — for a whole YEAR, every Night, the lonely soldier continued to yearn for his family.

As the hot desert sun continued to burn, for a single drop of water he began to yearn.
🎵 Rhyme

As the hot desert sun continued to burn, for a single drop of water he began to yearn.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/jɜːrn/
🇬🇧 UK/jɜːn/

🌳Etymology

Rootyearn

Origin

From Old English 'geornian' meaning 'to desire or long for,' derived from Proto-Germanic roots related to eagerness and desire. The word has cognates in other Germanic languages like Old High German 'girren.'

Breakdown

yearn: From Old English 'geornian' (to desire) + -n (verb infinitive marker) = yearn (to long for something intensely)

🎵Rhyme

learnearnsternturnburn
learn
earn
stern
turn
burn

🔗Collocations

yearn for freedom
yearn to return
yearn deeply
yearn for love
yearn nostalgically

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

The office worker yearns for Friday afternoon like a cat yearns for tuna.

😄 Fun example

Students yearn for the day when homework will do itself.

After months abroad, he yearned to taste his grandmother's cooking again.

😄 Fun example

She yearns for a world where calories don't count and pizza is a vegetable.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

long forcravepine fordesirehanker

Antonyms

despiserejectavoid

Related

longingnostalgiahomesicknessyearningdesire

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