for (the) want of
idiom
: because of not having (something) : because (something) does not exist or is not available
For want of a better name, let's call it "Operation One."
People are dying for want of medical treatment.
The project failed for the want of adequate funding.
Examples of for (the) want of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Whatever conviction born of hard experience grounded Vlautin’s source material eludes this screen adaptation — though not for want of skilled effort.
—
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
Then things get really bad when a bunch of, for want of a better term, flesh-eating zombies show up and begin attacking everything in sight.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 July 2025
For starters, Inside Season 1 had, for want of a better phrase, absolutely smashed it on YouTube, landing 55 million views globally across all episodes after 10 days during the summer of 2024.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 21 July 2025
The margins in the business were highly attractive When a factory line is down for want of a critical part, the price of transit is trivial compare to the cost of lost production.
—Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
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Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
Then things get really bad when a bunch of, for want of a better term, flesh-eating zombies show up and begin attacking everything in sight.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 July 2025
For starters, Inside Season 1 had, for want of a better phrase, absolutely smashed it on YouTube, landing 55 million views globally across all episodes after 10 days during the summer of 2024.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 21 July 2025
The margins in the business were highly attractive When a factory line is down for want of a critical part, the price of transit is trivial compare to the cost of lost production.
—Jerrold Lundquist, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for for (the) want of
Cite this Entry
“For (the) want of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/for%20%28the%29%20want%20of. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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