1
as in craves
to have an earnest wish to own or enjoy
I want a new car so badly!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in needs
to have as a requirement
that stray cat wants food and a clean place to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wishes
to see fit
do what you want
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in likes
to wish to have
I want some ice cream for dessert, please
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in lacks
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there's a notable want of teachers in that rural school district
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weaknesses
a defect in character
she's well-meaning and kind, but her besetting want is a complete lack of tact
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of wants
Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
What Pasolini wants is to turn this decaying palazzo into the Château de Silling, the house in which Sade’s libertines conduct their atrocious experiments.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
If Buffalo truly wants to be a top-tier Super Bowl contender, being aggressive ahead of the deadline might be necessary.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Helen wants him for an off-the-books quest to find a possibly mythical object called the Seven Five Two, and an even more off-the-books quest to find answers about a formative childhood trauma involving the Talamasca.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Bruce Springsteen wants to tell more of his story onscreen.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Fear is so powerful because almost no human wants to die.
—Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
Because, no, everybody wants to be that.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
This means 50 percent of money goes toward needs (such as bills, housing, groceries); 30 percent toward wants (subscriptions, social life and vacations); and 20 percent toward savings.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Records obtained by the Journal Sentinel show the two sides still appear far apart in their wants, according to contract offers submitted to a state arbitrator.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Peacock and Benzing emphasized the study will fully take into account the wants and expectations of the region's local governments, its residents and other stakeholders.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2025
Of course, regardless of when or whether these reforms happen, America also needs more of our current leaders to have the courage to focus on the needs of most voters rather than the wants of their political bases.
—Andrew Tisch, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The acquisitions market remains in a funk as streamers ratchet down their wants, and motion picture distributors evaluate whether the investment in a movie justifies their energy.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2025
Being more compassionate and respectful to the needs of your squad and family, instead of just asserting your wants, adds a new dimension to your connection with them.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
An offense that wants to be in 12 personnel as often as the Commanders do (on about 24 percent of offensive snaps since the start of last season) had to build a tight ends room where players weren’t just carbon copies, but had above-average traits in areas that complemented one another.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Politically or electorally speaking, Maoism could hardly be less relevant in this day and age—no one wants egalitarian totalitarianism anymore than (most) people want fascism.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
What Pasolini wants is to turn this decaying palazzo into the Château de Silling, the house in which Sade’s libertines conduct their atrocious experiments.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
If Buffalo truly wants to be a top-tier Super Bowl contender, being aggressive ahead of the deadline might be necessary.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Helen wants him for an off-the-books quest to find a possibly mythical object called the Seven Five Two, and an even more off-the-books quest to find answers about a formative childhood trauma involving the Talamasca.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Bruce Springsteen wants to tell more of his story onscreen.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Fear is so powerful because almost no human wants to die.
—Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
Because, no, everybody wants to be that.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
Themes of beauty and harmony are top of mind, and your home is mirroring your wants and needs.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
This means 50 percent of money goes toward needs (such as bills, housing, groceries); 30 percent toward wants (subscriptions, social life and vacations); and 20 percent toward savings.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Records obtained by the Journal Sentinel show the two sides still appear far apart in their wants, according to contract offers submitted to a state arbitrator.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Peacock and Benzing emphasized the study will fully take into account the wants and expectations of the region's local governments, its residents and other stakeholders.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2025
Of course, regardless of when or whether these reforms happen, America also needs more of our current leaders to have the courage to focus on the needs of most voters rather than the wants of their political bases.
—Andrew Tisch, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The acquisitions market remains in a funk as streamers ratchet down their wants, and motion picture distributors evaluate whether the investment in a movie justifies their energy.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2025
Being more compassionate and respectful to the needs of your squad and family, instead of just asserting your wants, adds a new dimension to your connection with them.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wants
Verb
-
The version of you who craves connection and harmony gets to co-exist with the one who’s finally ready to stop pretending and speak from the soul.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Such a setup would surely bring the sort of balance every manager craves, especially with Kabore and the fit-again Cacace capable of getting at an Oxford side who will arrive at the SToK Cae Ras one point and one place behind Wrexham in the table.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To do our best science, archaeology really needs a diverse group of practitioners.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
28 Oct. 2025
-
What the region needs, said Margalit, are Israeli and Arab political leaders who can move beyond the endless cycle of conflict.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ross' Happy Days costar, Henry Winkler, also shared his birthday wishes for the actress, reposting a photo of her previously shared on Twitter.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Good luck if one of your holiday wishes is to dine at 1587 Prime, the upscale steakhouse recently opened in Kansas City by Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meghan, 44, similarly spoke about how Lilibet likes to crash her video calls in an April episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Aaron likes being around people and likes to be funny.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
29 Oct. 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
Noun
-
Blue Jays manager John Schneider responded to the narrative and shed some more light on the overall strengths and weaknesses of both powerhouses.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Together, Hoka and Ugg account for the vast majority of Deckers’ revenue and have been critical in offsetting weaknesses in other categories.—
Luke Fountain,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Jey has been focused on his singles career, while Jimmy desires a return to their tag team roots.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Lavrov said that Russia desires peace, despite Russia launching some of its most aggressive strikes against Ukraine in weeks on Thursday.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Verghese estimated the world requires 593 million hectares of land—which is equivalent to twice the size of India—every year for crop cultivation at current productivity growth rates to meet that challenge.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Minnesota Vikings are liable to act quickly in their effort to replace backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that requires surgery to repair.—
Max Dible,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wants. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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