in the worst way
Desperately and with an extreme desire. I remember wanting that video game in the worst way, and I was so thrilled when my parents bought it for me. We wanted that house in the worst way, but hey, I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I feel terrible for them. They want to have a baby in the worst way, but they just haven't been able to get pregnant.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
in the worst way
Fig. very much. I want a new car in the worst way. Bob wants to retire in the worst way.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in the worst way
Desperately, very much, as in He wanted a new trumpet in the worst way. This usage replaced worst kind. [Colloquial; second half of 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in the worst way
Informal Very much; a great deal: wanted to be elected in the worst way.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.