for lack of
idiom
: not having (the thing specified)
They called it a comet, for lack of a better term/word.
For lack of anything better to do, we went to the park.
Examples of for lack of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There are numerous reports of preventable deaths for lack of oxygen and ventilators.
—
Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
And, for that matter, television has a long history of shoehorning disparate characters into policework for lack of a better idea.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
He was briefly jailed on charges of adultery, but the charges were quickly dropped for lack of evidence.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The tower in Michigan Central Station rises 15 stories above ground level and was originally built in the 1910s to hold offices, although many floors stayed vacant for lack of tenants.
—Detroit Free Press, 29 Jan. 2024
The city took it over for lack of tax payment in the early ’80s, then sold it back to us for $100,000 — or $20,000 a floor.
—M.h. Miller Miranda Barnes, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
But many of the state’s leading environmental research and advocacy organizations have a problem with Newsom’s policies, not for lack of habitat restoration projects, but lack of water in rivers.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
But his mother has died, left behind for lack of bribe money for a visa.
—Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Gaetz engaged a lawyer and contested the case, and the charges were dropped for lack of evidence.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
And, for that matter, television has a long history of shoehorning disparate characters into policework for lack of a better idea.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
He was briefly jailed on charges of adultery, but the charges were quickly dropped for lack of evidence.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The tower in Michigan Central Station rises 15 stories above ground level and was originally built in the 1910s to hold offices, although many floors stayed vacant for lack of tenants.
—Detroit Free Press, 29 Jan. 2024
The city took it over for lack of tax payment in the early ’80s, then sold it back to us for $100,000 — or $20,000 a floor.
—M.h. Miller Miranda Barnes, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
But many of the state’s leading environmental research and advocacy organizations have a problem with Newsom’s policies, not for lack of habitat restoration projects, but lack of water in rivers.
—Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
But his mother has died, left behind for lack of bribe money for a visa.
—Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Gaetz engaged a lawyer and contested the case, and the charges were dropped for lack of evidence.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'for lack of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near for lack of
Cite this Entry
“For lack of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/for%20lack%20of. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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