yearn after, yearn for

Yearn is often followed by the preposition for and sometimes by the preposition after.

• In spite of Claude’s care, the dog still yearned for its owner.
• As the mother of four children, Magda yearned for peace and quiet.
• Helen of Troy yearned after her husband Menelaus, her city and her parents.

Yearn may also be followed by an infinitive (to plus a verb).

• The refugees yearned to return to their homeland.

Use a hyphen in the compound modifier yearned-for.

• The driving force for the rebels was their yearned-for freedom.

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