Definition of "yearn" []

• To have a strong, often melancholy desire. (verb-intransitive)
• To feel deep pity, sympathy, or tenderness: yearned over the child's fate. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Sure, it's mildly entertaining to read an essay excerpt where a kid uses the word "urine" in place of the word "yearn.""
• "For some odd reason when people other than whites for lack of a better term yearn to preserve their heritage and culture, it is generally encouraged."
• "My beloved Perishers always travelled by train for their annual parent-free holidays, and I do kind of yearn to have that experience."