How to Use want in a Sentence

want

1 of 2 verb

• The motor wants a tune-up.
• Tell him that the teacher wants him.
• Do you want anything from the store?
• I just wanted a chance to rest.
• She wanted more time to finish the test.
• Do you want more coffee?
• You can choose whichever color you want.
• Thousands of poor people still want food and shelter.
• He wants a bicycle for his birthday.
• What do you want for Christmas?
• And the workers, by the way, who want all the overtime ...
  — Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 26 Dec. 2020
• Hamas, at the end of the day, Israel wants Hamas to be gone from – from Gaza.
  — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2023
• And that, again, comes down to whether the Wizards would want to deal.
  — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 4 June 2021
• What the people want is regime change, and no return to the past.
  — Karl Vick, Time, 29 Sep. 2022
• No one wants to spend a lot of time or money in the chase.
  — Michael Nagrant, RedEye Chicago, 12 July 2018
• The league — and the teams and players — don’t want to have byes that early.
  — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec. 2022
• Those who do not want the drug do not have to get it, of course.
  — William G. Woods, STAT, 17 Aug. 2022
• Watching late at night and don’t want to disturb the rest of the house?
  — Maren Estrada, BGR, 26 Feb. 2021
• With a dress this fun, who wouldn't want to serve up some looks?
  — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 23 May 2021
• We’re told that Bauer wants to pitch in the major leagues — so what?
  — Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024
• The big bet is on the idea that people want to only skim.
  — Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
• The best directors are the ones who want to work with the actors.
  — Marta Balaga, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024
• Absolver is a game that wants to be very, very many things.
  — Steven Strom, Ars Technica, 29 Aug. 2017
• For folks who don't want to be bogged down by a big bag, this piece is the one for you.
  — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2023
• Critics were quick to note that the change some people want is at the very top.
  — Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2022
• People from around the world want to be able to see it—and protect it.
  — Alexandra Ossola, Quartz, 13 June 2020
• Robinson didn't want to hold bags of poop for that long.
  — La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2022
• And if the domestic Emmys doesn’t want to recognize it as such, that’s okay.
  — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Jan. 2026
• That’s what dictators want to do.
  — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
• His wants suddenly became her desires, too.
  — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026

want

2 of 2 noun

• His attitude shows a want of proper respect.
• He is suffering from want of adequate sleep.
• Ball has the want and the feel to make plays, along with some of the means.
  — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, 14 Dec. 2017
• Both of us are in want of coats and a pair of breeche’s.
  — Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 16 June 2018
• Yet to get off the mark but that's not for the want of trying.
  — SI.com, 13 Sep. 2019
• The good thing was her wants and my wants were exactly the same.
  — Elizabeth Leonard, PEOPLE.com, 11 July 2018
• Fans by and large want to see lots of offense and lots of points.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 30 Oct. 2021
• Our mom taught us the difference between the need and the want.
  — Drew Davison, star-telegram, 10 Sep. 2016
• Do the Cavs want to trade down and go the big-volume approach?
  — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, 20 June 2019
• As for how many kids the duo want, Bieber had an answer for that.
  — PEOPLE.com, 20 July 2021
• Now the brothers- and sisters-in-law want to go out for brunch and hear all about the wedding.
  — Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2020
• What Moore and many on the left want isn’t mere victory.
  — Andy Marso, chicagotribune.com, 2 Aug. 2019
• Campbell would be the first to admit that right now, bars are a want but not a need.
  — Brooke Henderson, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2020
• Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, and Stark guide him and his want to save the world.
  — Chris Hachey, BGR, 14 Oct. 2021
• Can a want of water be traced to its source, like a river?
  — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022
• Keeping your staff on a salary is a need, but bonuses are a want.
  — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 26 May 2022
• Your wants may not align with your budget while the moon and Mercury square off.
  — USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2023
• The sound didn’t so much echo as fill the space, for want of competition.
  — Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022
• This place feels homey, inviting and laid-back — exactly the vibe the co-founders of Juice @ 1340 want.
  — Chasity Cooper, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022
• The staff limits its attentions to the needs and wants of its customers.
  — James Estrin, New York Times, 19 June 2018
• The need isn’t high, but the want for one in every cycle is why OSU still finds itself in the thick of things.
  — Stephen Means, cleveland, 1 May 2022
• True, no one goes to the barricades just for want of a Mercedes-Benz.
  — New York Times, 18 Mar. 2022
• Others claim that the want of jobs leaves those who commit these crimes no choice.
  — Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2022
• Gonzaga's Mark Few didn't see a lack of want-to from his foe.
  — Ryan Black, The Courier-Journal, 21 Nov. 2022
• Would your loved one want to be a hero, save lives, have a living legacy?
  — Amanda Kingsbury, Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2018
• Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players.
  — Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
• Just grit and determination and want-to.
  — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
• Apartment dwellers know better than anyone that being conservative with floor real estate isn’t a want, but a need.
  — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2026
• Freedom from want implies obligation.
  — Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
• Instead of a set schedule and activities with no wiggle room, retreats will start to cater to your wants and needs.
  — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026