Crossword Genius

Yearn for wife to join worker (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

want

'yearn' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'wife to join worker' is the wordplay.
'wife' becomes 'w'.
'to join' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'worker' becomes 'ant' (worker is a type of ant).
'w'+'ant'='WANT'

'for' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for want that I've seen before include "Desire to possess" , "'Wilful waste makes woeful . . . .'" , "Crave" , "Wish" , "Need or desire" .)

I've seen this clue in The Mirror.
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