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
The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
This absence — of God, of love, of plain community spirit — is a metaphor for the whole parish, where everyone is defined by their own lacks and deficiencies, the weaknesses that cause Wicks to despise them and vow to bring down them all.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
But Davies’s film has a patience and lightness of touch that Scorsese’s lacks, as well as a note-perfect lead in Gillian Anderson.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
So Vegas has to hope that their forward depth is strong enough to balance out where their star power lacks, relative to other contenders.
—The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
This absence — of God, of love, of plain community spirit — is a metaphor for the whole parish, where everyone is defined by their own lacks and deficiencies, the weaknesses that cause Wicks to despise them and vow to bring down them all.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
But Davies’s film has a patience and lightness of touch that Scorsese’s lacks, as well as a note-perfect lead in Gillian Anderson.
—Elle Carroll, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lacks
Noun
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At the same time, a currency collapsing under international sanctions, water shortages and recurring power outages have sharpened a sense of crisis across the country.—
Roxana Saberi,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
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At El Tejaban Mexican Grill in Richfield, sales have dropped by as much as 50%, forcing reduced hours and staffing shortages.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That's part of a peculiar mindset that insists people with low incomes should not only be poor, but miserable.—
NEAL RUBIN,
Freep.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Because he was raised by his stoic killer-king father, Dek insists to Thia that things like cooperation and sensitivity and grief are signs of weakness — even though the evidence of such weakness was precisely the reason why his own father wanted Dek killed.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That may come down to the performance of the Bears defense, which has relied on a league-best 33 turnovers to make up for other deficiencies.—
Hank Gola,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
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From vitamin D deficiencies to stumbling circadian rhythms, all these extra dark hours can cause major sleep disruptors.—
Hunter Boyce,
AJC.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Chelsea’s appointment of Liam Rosenior is at least understandable in terms of his work within the BlueCo network, which begs the question of why Ratcliffe’s own multi-club operation could not provide United with a wider network to tap into.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Hopper begs her to believe there is another way.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The best storytelling requires revision.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Then lawmakers passed a law that requires legislative approval for such an action.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What better way to welcome the weekend than with the smell and sound of a frying ijeh, asks Sami Tamimi.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Space exploration asks us to think beyond ourselves.—
Alexander Görlach,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Despite the toll Bug exacts, however, Coon is in exceptionally good humor—if with the blinking optimism of a new year in an unstable reality.—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
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Other parts are compressed by what's essentially a really big squishing machine, far taller than a person, that exacts a precise amount of pressure on a tiny metal sensor.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Everglades restoration involves removing as many of these dams as possible without risking flood control, while adding more reservoirs for water storage, all to revive a river of grass that flows once more.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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If your annual drive to the beach involves more than a full day on the road, that predictability drops fast.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lacks. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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