lacked; lacking; lacks
1
: to be deficient or missing
time is lacking for a full explanation
2
: to be short or have need of something
he will not lack for advisers
The area does not lack for good restaurants.
: to stand in need of : suffer from the absence or deficiency of
lack the necessities of life
She lacked confidence.
Examples of lack in a Sentence
His book lacks any coherent structure.
They lack a good strategy for winning the election.
This painting lacks any artistic value.
She has never been accused of lacking confidence.
Many of these people lack the basic necessities of life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Like so many episodes of household violence, that night came to seem like a hallucination, a lurid memory of something that wasn’t connected to our life together and so would eventually, lacking any handhold, fade away.
—
Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
What the school lacked was a buzzy, urban core that would serve as a unifying force in the way that Westwood Village infused life into UCLA decades ago.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
Cenac lacks efficiency and foul discipline at times — a weakness that was on display in the NCAA Tournament — but also has shown the potential to dominate the paint both as a defender and a scorer.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
According to clinical literature, the human body lacks the functional gene (GULO) to synthesize ascorbic acid endogenously, meaning our vitamin C pool can be fully depleted within as little as one to three months on a deficient diet.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lack
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Andrea Bajani, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
What the school lacked was a buzzy, urban core that would serve as a unifying force in the way that Westwood Village infused life into UCLA decades ago.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
Cenac lacks efficiency and foul discipline at times — a weakness that was on display in the NCAA Tournament — but also has shown the potential to dominate the paint both as a defender and a scorer.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
According to clinical literature, the human body lacks the functional gene (GULO) to synthesize ascorbic acid endogenously, meaning our vitamin C pool can be fully depleted within as little as one to three months on a deficient diet.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for lack
Cite this Entry
“Lack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lack. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lack
1 of 2 verb1
: to be missing
2
: to need, want, or be short of
lacks money
lack
2 of 2 noun1
: the fact or state of being absent or in short supply
2
: something that is lacking or is needed
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
