DictionarypineDeep longing
verb

pine

To long deeply for someone or something.

She pines for the home she left behind.

Etymology

The older verb concerns suffering and wasting away. Emotional longing became one cause of that suffering, producing the modern sense of yearning deeply.

More examples

  • He pined after his former partner.
  • The dog seemed to pine for its owner.
  • They spent the winter pining for warm weather.

Forms

pine · pines · pined · pining

Similar words

yearn
Feel a deep desire.
long
Want something strongly over time.