They looked with longing toward freedom.
She cast a look of longing at the shop window.
She never told anyone about her secret longings.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The earworm record provokes a sense of longing, one that is uplifting, cathartic and beautiful.—Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 If the famous pistol scene feels a bit anticlimactic, the end of the play distills a shattering feeling of longing for something long lost.—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025 The stately Royal Crescent and the Gravel Walk, where Anne and Wentworth finally reconcile, becomes a place associated with longing.—Becca Blond, AFAR Media, 10 Feb. 2025 Photo: Shutterstock Elemental and erotic, Andrea Arnold’s reimagining of Emily Brontë’s 19th-century novel drips with longing.—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for longing
Word History
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of longing was
before the 12th century
Share