verb
hanker
Hanker (verb) means to have a strong wish for something.
verb
1
To have a strong wish for something.
"Very greatly, as a boy, used I to hanker to ride within those friendly-looking cabs and to look out through those shining spectacles along those straight clean boilers towards those familiar flared-out chimneys. Now it was to be."
— Henry Maxwell, A Sentimental Journey (1957)
"If you hanker for chocolate, you'll like this fudge recipe."
"She bade him good-night and hurried down the road. Next day he took her in a little watch with a brooch to pin on her dress. She had been hankering for it."
— William Somerset Maugham (1915)
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Etymology
With a secondary frequentative suffix -er, ultimately pointing to Proto-Germanic *hankōną, an iterative to *hanhaną (“to hang”). Related to Dutch hunkeren (“to crave”), which continues the zero-grade iterative.
Related words
Rhymes for hanker
See all rhymes for hanker →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of hanker?
"hanker" (verb) means to have a strong wish for something.
What is another word for hanker?
Other words for "hanker" include yearn, long.
What is the opposite of hanker?
Opposites of "hanker" include detest, dislike, abhor, loathe, shun.
