want

verb \ ˈwȯnt also ˈwänt and ˈwənt \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

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Examples: want in a Sentence

Definition of want

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

See want defined for English-language learners

See want defined for kids

Examples of want in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of want from the Web

The Trump administration is preparing to release a refined list of Chinese products to be hit with tariffs that hones in on technologies where China wants to establish itself as a leader, according to five people familiar with the matter.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Approves Tariffs on $50 Billion of Chinese Goods," 15 June 2018
Under $150: A popular tool set for the DIYer (Photo: Dewalt) This deal is perfect for anyone who loves DIY projects and wants to go bigger.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best deals on Amazon right now," 14 June 2018
That’s because Gibson wants to bring all those people together.

— otis r. taylor jr., San Francisco Chronicle, "Oakland native’s festival feels like the Town," 14 June 2018
Exceptionally high property and income taxes, capped as deductions at just $10,000 a year, are prompting owners to want to sell in rising numbers.

— kenneth r. harney, miamiherald, "Doomsday predictions over tax cuts have not come true - yet," 13 June 2018
Then, Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah ruled out leaving Syria because the regime wanted it there.

— ariel ben solomon, Jewish Journal, "Is an anti-Iran bloc of Russia, U.S. and Israel forming in Syria?," 13 June 2018
Kim himself appears to want a different economic future for his people, one more like Singapore’s.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "A summit that may pop fear in North Korea," 12 June 2018
Markovitz said voters will want to know how council members will deal with development in the Ellicott City watershed.

— kate magill, Columbia Flier, "Field is crowded in race for Howard County Council," 12 June 2018
Web sites that want to circumvent ad blocking must first be able to sense when a blocker is in use.

— chris baraniuk, Scientific American, "Where Will the Ad versus Ad Blocker Arms Race End?," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'want.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of want

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

want Synonyms

Phrases

call for;

Synonym Discussion of want

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

want

noun

Definition of want

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

See want defined for English-language learners

Examples of want in a Sentence

His attitude shows a want of proper respect.
He is suffering from want of adequate sleep.
people who are living in want

Recent Examples of want from the Web

In every one of the three male Ocean’s pictures (for want of a better term), an antagonist set the terms for the heist team’s redemption.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "In Ocean’s 8, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend," 12 June 2018
Sam Neill's gruff/rugged I-don't-want-to-be-a-dad performance as Dr. Alan Grant, its introduction of Laura Dern to an entire generation, that one scene where the T-Rex roars and the WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH banner falls to the ground.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "The Best Part of Jurassic Park Is Its Music," 11 June 2018
Caldart said most lawyers who choose to do pro bono work for a clinic want to provide help in short chunks of time, without establishing ongoing attorney-client relationships.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Poor? Need legal aid? Tiny part of landlord law could make lawyers wary of helping out," 25 May 2018
The guys up front — (Greg) Gooch was such a great leader, wasn’t one of our more talented guys, but the want-to was so high, and leadership was strong.

— zach osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Tom Allen turned around IU football's defense, but can he fix it for good?," 22 May 2018
The former want culls of the wolves; the latter emphasise better protection for livestock and resettlement of problematic packs.

— The Economist, "A growing wolf population presents German politicians with a conundrum," 12 May 2018
With summer slipping into our vantage, a want of bikini-ready bodies—and the ensembles to show them off—is less of a chilly day dream and more of a two-months-away reality.

— calin van paris, Vogue, "Only Bella Hadid Can Pull Off Crop Top Abs This Extreme," 30 Apr. 2018
With what was a head-scratching and embarrassing series finally coming to an end for the Trail Blazers, fans in Portland and beyond want to know who is to blame for such an epic collapse.

— tim brown, OregonLive.com, "Who do you blame for the Portland Trail Blazers' embarrassing playoff exit: The players or Neil Olshey?," 21 Apr. 2018
What about the people who can’t walk that want to walk again?’ That stuff’s way more serious than running around and playing football.

— jason duaine hahn, PEOPLE.com, "Super Bowl-Bound Patriots Player Earns $11 an Hour Helping the Disabled in the Offseason," 2 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of want

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

want Synonyms

Synonyms

absence, dearth, lack;

Antonyms

presence;

Near Antonyms

abundance, amplitude, bounty, plenitude, plenteousness, plentifulness, plentitude, plenty, wealth;

adequacy, sufficiency;

excess, overabundance, oversupply, superabundance, surfeit, surplus;

deluge, flood;

bushel, deal, gobs, heap, loads, lot, mass, mountain, much, oodles, peck, pile, pot, quantity, raft, reams, scads, stack, volume, wad;

deprivation, loss, necessity, need, needfulness, omission;

Synonym Discussion of want

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

WANT Defined for English Language Learners

want

verb

Definition of want for English Language Learners

: to desire or wish for (something)
: to need (something)
: to be without (something needed)

want

noun

Definition of want for English Language Learners

: the state or condition of not having any or enough of something
: something that is desired or needed
: the state or condition of being poor

WANT Defined for Kids

want

verb \ ˈwȯnt , ˈwänt \

Definition of want for Students

wanted; wanting

1 : to desire, wish, or long for something

I want to go home.

2 : to feel or suffer the need of something

… such a ghastly brew as to make me want to swoon.
—Avi, Crispin

3 : to be without : lack

Luckily, my family does not want much.

want

noun

Definition of want for Students

1 : ²lack, shortage

His actions show a want of common sense.

2 : the state of being very poor

They died in want.

3 : a wish for something : desire

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See words that rhyme with want Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for want Spanish Central: Translation of want Nglish: Translation of want for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of want for Arabic speakers

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want

Definition of want

Examples of want in a Sentence

Recent Examples of want from the Web

Origin and Etymology of want

want Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Synonym Discussion of want

want

Definition of want

Examples of want in a Sentence

Recent Examples of want from the Web

First Known Use of want

want Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of want

WANT Defined for English Language Learners

want

Definition of want for English Language Learners

want

Definition of want for English Language Learners

WANT Defined for Kids

want

Definition of want for Students

want

Definition of want for Students

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