From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhankerhan‧ker /ˈhæŋkə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive, transitive] WANTto have a strong desire for somethinghanker after/for She hankered for a new life in a different country. holidaymakers who hanker after the sunhanker to do something I've been hankering to visit my father's birthplace for many years.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
hanker• At the age of four, she could read fast and well and she naturally began hankering after books.• By the time the three-quarters mark of the set screeches past, you're almost hankering after some form of relief.• I had certainly found the rural setting I had been hankering after.• All very contemporary, but I found myself hankering for the crisp definition of the old Frederick Austin arrangement.• Or how about the faint chirp prodding you to invent an ugly doll with a hankering for tickles?Origin hanker (1600-1700) Probably from Flemish hankeren, from hangen “to hang” 