crave

/kreɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /kreɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkrāv/ (ame, mw)

crave — verb

  • cravepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • craveshe / she / it
  • cravedpast simple
  • craving-ing form

1. to feel an extremely strong need or want for something, often a particular food,

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to feel an extremely strong need or want for something, often a particular food, a drink, or an emotional experience — so strong that it is hard to think of anything else.

例句

In the summer heat Diego craved a cold drink and a long rest after jogging.

crave + noun phrase (object of strong physical need)

Fatima dieted strictly for a month and craved chocolate every day.

crave + specific food noun

同義詞
  • desire

    more general and less intense; can be mild or strong

  • long for

    focuses on something absent or out of reach; more emotional than physical

  • yearn for

    more poetic and emotional; implies a deep, sad longing

  • hunger for

    suggests instinctual need like hunger; less urgent than crave

反義詞
  • dislike

    a feeling of not wanting something

  • detest

    a strong negative feeling, opposite of crave

文法句型

crave + noun phrase

用法筆記

Frequently used for physical needs (hunger, thirst, tiredness) or emotional wants that feel almost physical. Stronger than 'want' and closer to 'need' in intensity. Subject is often a person, but can also be the body itself.

常見錯誤

❌I crave a cup of tea right now.
✅I'd like a cup of tea right now.
💡Crave expresses an intense, often urgent need; it sounds exaggerated for mild everyday preferences.
❌She craved for a new phone.
✅She craved a new phone.
💡In standard English, crave is transitive and does not take 'for' before the object.

2. to ask for something in a very serious, humble, or urgent way, especially when y

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to ask for something in a very serious, humble, or urgent way, especially when you need forgiveness, mercy, or basic necessities.

例句

The old fisherman craved the return of calm weather after three days of storm.

formal register: crave + abstract noun for urgent need

In his final letter to the court, the prisoner craved mercy from the judge.

formal register: crave mercy (legal context)

同義詞
  • beg

    more common in everyday speech; less formal

  • plead for

    similar formality but implies desperation or legal context

  • implore

    equally formal; focused on emotional appeal

  • beseech

    archaic or literary; very formal and emotional

反義詞
  • refuse

    to say no to a request, opposite of asking earnestly

  • demand

    to ask in a forceful way without humility

文法句型

crave + noun phrase

crave + for + noun (archaic)

用法筆記

This sense is markedly formal or literary. Rare in everyday conversation. Object is typically an abstract noun (forgiveness, mercy, pardon) rather than a concrete item. Distinguished from sense 1: the focus here is on requesting from someone in authority, not on internal desire.

常見錯誤

❌He craved her to stay with him.
✅He begged her to stay with him.
💡Crave takes a noun object (her forgiveness, her company), not a person followed by an infinitive.