want

1 of 2

verb

ˈwȯnt 

also

ˈwänt 

 and  ˈwənt

wanted; wanting; wants

intransitive verb

1

: to be needy or destitute

2

: to have or feel need

never wants for friends

3

: to be necessary or needed

4

: to desire to come, go, or be

the cat wants in

wants out of the deal

transitive verb

1

: to fail to possess especially in customary or required amount : lack

the answer wanted courtesy

2

a

: to have a strong desire for

wanted a chance to rest

b

: to have an inclination to : like

say what you want, he is efficient

3

a

: to have need of : require

the motor wants a tune-up

b

: to suffer from the lack of

thousands still want food and shelter

4

: ought

—used with the infinitive

you want to be very careful what you say

—Claudia Cassidy

5

: to wish or demand the presence of

6

: to hunt or seek in order to apprehend

wanted for murder

want

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: deficiency, lack

suffers from a want of good sense

b

: grave and extreme poverty that deprives one of the necessities of life

2

: something wanted : need, desire

3

: personal defect : fault

Synonyms

Verb

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• hanker (for or after)
• hunger (for)
• itch (for)
• jones (for) [slang]
• long (for)
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• pine (for)
• repine (for)
• salivate (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• wish (for)
• yearn (for)
• yen (for)

Noun

• absence
• dearth
• lack

Choose the Right Synonym for want

Verb

desire, wish, want, crave, covet mean to have a longing for.

desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim.

desires to start a new life

wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable.

wishes for permanent world peace

want specifically suggests a felt need or lack.

wants to have a family

crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need.

craves sweets

covet implies strong envious desire.

covets his rise to fame

Noun

poverty, indigence, penury, want, destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources.

poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts.

the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers

indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances.

the indigence of her years as a graduate student

penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money.

a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury

want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure.

lived in a perpetual state of want

the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine

Examples of want in a Sentence

Verb

Do you want more coffee?

He wants a bicycle for his birthday.

I just wanted a chance to rest.

She wanted more time to finish the test.

Do you want anything from the store?

What do you want for Christmas?

You can choose whichever color you want.

The motor wants a tune-up.

Thousands of poor people still want food and shelter.

Tell him that the teacher wants him.

Noun

His attitude shows a want of proper respect.

He is suffering from want of adequate sleep.

people who are living in want

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Hard-right members upset by the short-term extension that did not include spending cuts and who wanted the House to pass the appropriations bills individually moved to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as their leader. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023

House Republicans want to know more about American CEOs shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to dine with the leader of China. —Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2023

So what exactly is Wicker looking for in a head coach? To begin with, Wicker wants one who understands the culture within both the SDSU football program and athletic department. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023

Having won permission to build a multibillion dollar petrochemical plant in Guangdong Province, the company wants to be a key supplier of plastics to the country’s manufacturing industry for decades to come. —Thomas Black, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023

If the world wants to peak and reduce global coal production, this is essential. —WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023

Like many entertainers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese songwriter and musician Yoshiki wanted to find a way to use his artistry to lift people’s spirits, particularly fans who wrote to him about being in a dark place during that time. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Nov. 2023

The two leaders are expected to discuss the wars going on in Ukraine and the Middle East (Biden wants to warn Xi against North Korea or Iran meddling in the conflicts) and the U.S.’s high-level visits to Taiwan (Xi wants to see fewer visits from American officials), among other topics. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2023

Current city Los Angeles Really want to be in Back home in Boston. —Liza Lentini, SPIN, 3 Nov. 2023

Noun

The vision of a future free from want and full of pocketless robes seems ever-distant. —Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023

For 65 years, Hershey, Pa., has been the headquarters of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), whose annual Car Corral show and flea market continues to fuel the want list of collectors. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2023

Anything nonessential falls into the wants category. —Kevin J. Ryan, wsj.com, 7 Sep. 2023

All that the protagonists of The Gilded Age want is to fund and produce prestige entertainment without being bothered by the annoyance of striking workers! —Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023

So, treating Miss Minutes as a real character with real wants and needs was a big thing for me. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2023

The mandate was criticized for not taking into account the wants and needs of the Palestinians who resided in the land and wanted independence. —Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2023

Homes with fenced yards, Zillow research shows, sell an average of three days faster than non-fenced homes. Access to parks or trails also ranks high on the wants list. —Tom Peterson, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023

If public transportation had to cut service for want of fares, the city would grow unfriendly to work. —Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old Norse vanta; akin to Old English wan deficient

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing want

• do you want to bet?
• don't want to know
• it is not for lack/want of trying
• want (back) into
• only wish/want/hope
• not for want of
• have/hold/want no truck with
• lack/want for nothing
• make someone (want to) puke
• in want of
• want in/out
• want no part of/in
• want ad
• want out of
• want rid of
• waste not, want not
• want someone's scalp
• want in on
• for (the) want of
• want for

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• do you want to bet?
• don't want to know
• it is not for lack/want of trying
• want (back) into
• only wish/want/hope
• not for want of
• have/hold/want no truck with
• lack/want for nothing
• make someone (want to) puke
• in want of
• want in/out
• want no part of/in
• want ad
• want out of
• want rid of
• waste not, want not
• want someone's scalp
• want in on
• for (the) want of
• want for

See More

Kids Definition

want

1 of 2 verb

ˈwȯnt 

 also  ˈwänt,

ˈwənt

1

: to be without : lack

this coat is wanting a button

2

: to feel or have the need of : require

our house wants painting

3

: to desire, wish, or long for something

wanted a chance to play

4

: ought sense 2

you want to be very careful

5

: to seek in order to arrest

was wanted for murder

want

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a lack of a required or usual amount

b

: a state of great poverty

2

: something wanted : need, desire