1. 1. A sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat related to a need or desire to drink.
   2. The desire to drink.
2. An insistent desire; a craving: a thirst for knowledge.

1. To feel a need to drink.
2. To have a strong craving; yearn.

[Middle English, from Old English thurst.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.