What does thirst mean?
Thirst most commonly means the physical need or desire for drink, especially when the body has lost too much water or when heat, exertion, or illness makes drinking urgent. It can also describe a strong desire for something else, as in a thirst for knowledge, power, justice, or adventure. The figurative use suggests an intense, almost compelling longing rather than a casual preference. As a verb, thirst is less common in modern everyday speech but remains vivid in literary and archaic writing: someone may thirst for truth, freedom, or recognition. The noun is widely used in both formal and informal contexts, while thirsty is the usual adjective for a person who needs a drink. Although the word’s basic meaning is bodily, its figurative senses have made it especially useful for describing deep learning, ambition, and spiritual or intellectual longing.
The bodily need or desire for drink; in extended use, a strong desire for something.
"The workers quenched their thirst with cold water."
To feel a strong need for drink or to desire something intensely.
"The young scholar thirsted for knowledge."
Chiefly literary or archaic, especially in figurative constructions such as “thirst for.”
Rare in modern English; the singular form is normally used even when referring to different people or kinds of thirst.
"The novel describes the thirsts of the wandering characters."
Thirst has always had two lives: the physical urge for a drink and the metaphorical hunger for knowledge, power, or adventure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thirst come from?
The English word descends from Old English þyrst, an inherited Germanic term for the condition of needing drink. It continues a Proto-Germanic form associated with the Indo-European root for “dry,” and related forms survive in languages such as German, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish. Modern English developed the adjective thirsty and the adverb thirstily from the same base, while the verb retained older, literary uses.
Related word forms
How thirst is actually used
The noun is standard in everyday English. The verb is chiefly literary or archaic and is more often encountered in formal, poetic, or figurative expressions.
Easily confused with thirst
Thirst is the noun naming the need or desire for drink, whereas thirsty is the adjective describing someone who feels that need.