as in shortages
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
the lack of eligible candidates for the jury kept the trial from getting started
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Recent Examples of lacks
Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Dipping into 2027 draft capital to make a fifth-round selection in a draft that Schneider has repeatedly said lacks depth is a surprising move.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Industrial composting sites—big, regionalized facilities that can churn out large volumes of organic waste—are designed to speed up the composting process using heat, moisture, and carbon control, things that a simple countertop compost container lacks.
—Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026
Cinch doesn't have many add-on options available, which means customization lacks.
—Caroline Ernst, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
As of Wednesday, firearms dealers are required under state law to use scanners that pull the prospective purchaser’s name, date of birth and other details from the card’s magnetic strip, which the new design lacks — except if they are authorized otherwise.
—Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Each provides amino acids that the other lacks, so eating them together gives you all the essential amino acids.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 27 Jan. 2026
Economic theory would suggest that the best place to make a major investment such as a STAR bond would be in a place that has low, or lacks, economic activity.
—Sofi Zeman
january 21, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
The 6-2, 2-00-pounder lacks experience but does boast ideal length and versatility and currently projects as a late-round selection or free agent.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 16 Dec. 2025
Noun
Ford’s freedom or constraints, his prejudices or lacks, gauge his moment and ours.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Dipping into 2027 draft capital to make a fifth-round selection in a draft that Schneider has repeatedly said lacks depth is a surprising move.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Industrial composting sites—big, regionalized facilities that can churn out large volumes of organic waste—are designed to speed up the composting process using heat, moisture, and carbon control, things that a simple countertop compost container lacks.
—Francesca Krempa, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026
Cinch doesn't have many add-on options available, which means customization lacks.
—Caroline Ernst, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
As of Wednesday, firearms dealers are required under state law to use scanners that pull the prospective purchaser’s name, date of birth and other details from the card’s magnetic strip, which the new design lacks — except if they are authorized otherwise.
—Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Each provides amino acids that the other lacks, so eating them together gives you all the essential amino acids.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 27 Jan. 2026
Economic theory would suggest that the best place to make a major investment such as a STAR bond would be in a place that has low, or lacks, economic activity.
—Sofi Zeman
january 21, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
The 6-2, 2-00-pounder lacks experience but does boast ideal length and versatility and currently projects as a late-round selection or free agent.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacks
Noun
-
The dress's origin is often attributed to lingerie designer Sylvia Pedlar, who developed the mini dress in 1942 in response to fabric shortages during World War II.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
-
Gas and diesel shortages have triggered more frequent power cuts in industrial zones.—
Julhas Alam,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Yet convenience has not come at the price of comfort, insists designer Mikael Axelsson, who set out to better the coziness of conventional foam fillings.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Hao insists philanthropy alone won’t solve academic medicine’s financial and structural challenges.—
Lisa Chambers,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Potassium or iron deficiencies may also contribute to browning, especially if the tree looks weak overall.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
-
Following last year’s Louvre heist, a new report released by a French parliamentary commission on May 13 sheds light on glaring security deficiencies within the country’s cultural institutions.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Adonis yells as Gillis begs him to pull over.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
In one of three handwritten letters, Rodriguez-Singh begs state District Judge Julie Lugo, who this week recused herself from the case for a reason that is not clear, for help.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Addressing long-term encampments requires consistent outreach, mental health care, sanitation access, and pathways to stable housing.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
Traditionally, maintaining vigilance in places like the South China Sea requires constant Naval patrols, which are expensive.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The city asks residents reporting violations to provide the location, date, time and type of activity observed.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
-
In the last few pages of the play, there’s something so powerful in the way Linda asks Willy to come to bed — the knowing and the tiredness and the strength and sadness in it.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Shrinking lake ice exacts its price Depending on how much greenhouse gases warm the planet in the coming years, the average lake could lose up to 10 to 28 days of ice cover by the end of the century, says Sapna Sharma, a global change biologist at York University in Canada.—
Berly McCoy,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Colonialization exacts a heavy toll.—
Taylor Crumpton,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Burberry is a professor of English and an expert in geomythology, a field which involves searching old folk tales, myths and stories for evidence of real geological events.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
-
Cariello said Cox also appears to apply in a lawsuit that music publishers filed against the X social network, which involves users uploading music to the platform.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacks. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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