I. thirst 1 /θɜːst $ θɜːrst/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ thirst ; adverb : ↑ thirstily ; adjective : ↑ thirsty ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: thurst ]
1 . [singular] the feeling of wanting or needing a drink ⇨ thirsty , hunger :
Ice water is the only thing that really quenches my thirst (=gets rid of it) .
We had worked up a thirst (=done something that made us thirsty) , and so we decided to stop for a beer.
Maggie woke up with a raging thirst (=an extremely strong thirst) .
2 . [uncountable] the state of not having enough to drink:
Many of the animals had died of thirst.
3 . a thirst for knowledge/education/information etc literary a strong desire for knowledge etc:
the thirst for knowledge in Renaissance Italy
II. thirst 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive] old use
to be thirsty
thirst for/after something phrasal verb literary
to want something very much:
young men thirsting for adventure