De·sire v. t. [imp. & p. p. Desired p. pr. & vb. n. Desiring.]
1. To long for; to wish for earnestly; to covet.
Neither shall any man desire thy land. --Ex. xxxiv. 24.
Ye desire your child to live. --Tennyson.
2. To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.
Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? --2 Kings iv. 28.
Desire him to go in; trouble him no more. --Shak.
3. To require; to demand; to claim. [Obs.]
A doleful case desires a doleful song. --Spenser.
4. To miss; to regret. [Obs.]
She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when she dies. --Jer. Taylor.
Syn: -- To long for; hanker after; covet; wish; ask; request; solicit; entreat; beg.
Usage: -- To Desire, Wish. In desire the feeling is usually more eager than in wish. “I wish you to do this” is a milder form of command than “I desire you to do this,” though the feeling prompting the injunction may be the same. --C. J. Smith.