<p>Explicit wanting and liking for hunger can be readily dissociated. When hungry, ratings of wanting for a palatable food closely resemble ratings of liking made when it is eaten. However, when sated, ratings of wanting for a palatable food are significantly less than ratings of liking when it is eaten. Here we examine if this dissociation occurs for another motivational system, thirst, and if it does, whether its properties resemble those of hunger. Thirsty participants (n = 128 [95 female]) ate salted chips prior to evaluating wanting for various drinks (water, and sweet and carbonated beverages). They then tasted the drinks and rated liking. Following thirst satiation with water, participants repeated the drink-based wanting and liking test. Additional measures were included to assess memories of drinking, obtained both before and after satiation, habitual diet, and habitual use of the tested drinks. As with hunger, desire for drink declined more, pre- to post-satiation, than liking (Cohen’s d = 1.5). The magnitude of this dissociation was related to habitual drink usage, adherence to a Western diet, and to changes in memories of drinking, pre- to post-satiation. In conclusion, we demonstrate a dissociation between explicit wanting and liking for thirst, suggesting its generality beyond hunger, and discuss its possible mechanistic basis in memory inhibition.</p>