English Dictionary |
THIRST
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
IPA (US): |
Dictionary entry overview: What does thirst mean?
• THIRST (noun)
The noun THIRST has 2 senses:
1. a physiological need to drink
2. strong desire for something (not food or drink)
Familiarity information: THIRST used as a noun is rare.
• THIRST (verb)
The verb THIRST has 2 senses:
2. have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
Familiarity information: THIRST used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A physiological need to drink
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
thirst; thirstiness
Hypernyms ("thirst" is a kind of...):
drive (a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "thirst"):
dehydration (depletion of bodily fluids)
polydipsia (excessive thirst (as in cases of diabetes or kidney dysfunction))
Derivation:
thirst (feel the need to drink)
thirsty (feeling a need or desire to drink)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Strong desire for something (not food or drink)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
hunger; hungriness; thirst; thirstiness
Context example:
hunger for affection
Hypernyms ("thirst" is a kind of...):
desire (an inclination to want things)
Derivation:
thirst (have a craving, appetite, or great desire for)
thirsty ((usually followed by 'for') extremely desirous)
Conjugation: |
Past simple: thirsted
Past participle: thirsted
-ing form: thirsting
Sense 1
Meaning:
Feel the need to drink
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "thirst" is one way to...):
ache; hurt; smart (be the source of pain)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
thirst (a physiological need to drink)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
Classified under:
Verbs of eating and drinking
Synonyms:
crave; hunger; lust; starve; thirst
Hypernyms (to "thirst" is one way to...):
desire; want (feel or have a desire for; want strongly)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
thirst (strong desire for something (not food or drink))
Context examples
A disorder characterized by excretion of large amounts of urine, accompanied by excessive thirst.
(Diabetes Insipidus, NCI Thesaurus)
If she could feel hunger and thirst, and heat and cold, then could she feel love—and love for a man.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
The area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.
(Hypothalamus, NCI Dictionary)
This was the forest near Ingolstadt; and here I lay by the side of a brook resting from my fatigue, until I felt tormented by hunger and thirst.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Not only were we hungry, but we were now suffering from thirst.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
Kgala, Tswana natives called it, the great thirst.
(Sleeping sands of the Kalahari awaken after more than 10,000 years, NSF)
This reaction includes , but is not limited to, flushing, headache, respiratory difficulty, nausea,vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, tachycardia, blurred vision and hypotension.
(Disulfiram, NCI Thesaurus)
A benign brain tumor that may be considered malignant because it can damage the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.
(Craniopharyngioma, NCI Dictionary)
This protein is involved in satiety, thirst and anxiety and regulating growth hormone release.
(Appetite-Regulating Hormone, NCI Thesaurus)
New studies show that salty food diminishes thirst while increasing hunger, due to a higher need for energy.
(Salty Diet Makes You Hungry, Not Thirsty, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
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