Definition of "eager"

When to her eager lips is brought / Her infant's thrilling kiss.

1827, [John Keble], The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […]

a crowd of eager and curious schoolboys

1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields

When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.

1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess‎

gold itself will be sometimes so eager, (as artists call it), that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself

1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […]

like eager droppings into milk

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene v], page 9

If so thou thinkest, vex him with eager words.

c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene vi], page 157

It is a nipping and an eager air.

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene iv], page 2

Now everybody considered it a high privilege (valued it at a high consideration) to see him and to hear him speak, and to obey his command (him commanding), whereas he, though being such a person, eagered to be unknown, and to escape notice in solitude.

1864, The Fathers, Historians, and Writers of the Church, page 121

Our spirits fret and chafe like sea waves on the rocks eagering to climb the shore.

1913, William Alfred Quayle, The Climb to God, page 116

The buggy jolted on, the stout, wellkept team eagering, homing, barning.

1932, William Faulkner, Light in August

After entering college, I eagered to have a parttime job.

2002, Mark F. Harris, A Distant Place, page 198

After the go-ahead from the joint committee, the Mugglesby CO warmed up and eagered up tremendously, and we went back to plotting.

2021, Bill Watson, The Chaos Factor

His hair crinkled towards her fondly. "Yes," he eagered.

1924, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Punch - Volume 167, page 181

Peg! eager voices eagered voicely.

1969, Kenneth Patchen, Sleepers Awake, page 141

[…] Sister Clare saying Oh look a greenfinch and the name was a gift to me as much as the three and a half more minutes the green vision danced and fretted and eagered and preened in front of me […]

2019, Toby Litt, Patience

Physicians also admit to eagering patients to turn to specialised web sites in order to read further.

2013, Andrzej Łyda, Krystyna Warchał, Occupying Niches, page 135

But they only eagered him to be off .

1927, Carleton Beals, Brimstone and Chili

Its presence gave him no thought of condemnation, but only eagered his longing for the redemption body.

1941, William R. Newell, Romans Verse-by-Verse