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
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Recent Examples of wants
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Follmer wants to have movie showings in the natural amphitheater below the garden.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 2 June 2026
Warikoo argued the bigger question for business leaders is not simply what AI can replace, but what kind of workforce society wants to build alongside it—especially as technology gets close to AGI.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 June 2026
The Lebanese government, which wants Hezbollah to disarm, has begun direct negotiations with Israel today.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 2 June 2026
The kind that wants to avoid the stuffy formalities and loud hubris that’s often touted at some of London’s other hotels.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Versant Media wants to sweat the short stuff.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 June 2026
And Impulse Space wants to be the chief provider of this last-leg transportation.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 2 June 2026
Because Ethan will be released back into the family’s care following his incarceration, the judge will take into consideration what the family wants when determining the length of Ethan’s prison term.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 27 May 2026
The price simply reflects the building’s capacity for satisfying human wants—with the latter as well as the former physical facts about the world.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
The fact that those dreary assessments have very little to do with the actual wants and needs of the vast majority of Californians — not to mention the state’s history of electing mostly dull and drab governors — should give their authors pause.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
But that conversation can’t be about your wants.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026
Chesbrough thinks consumers are sometimes unrealistic in their wants.
—Alexa St. John, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Your current spending should align with your needs more than your wants at this moment.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
November 22 – December 21 Your current spending should align with your needs more than your wants at this moment.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
Here, the benchmark is to spend a maximum of 50% of your income on essentials and financial obligations, like rent, and then 30% on wants, meaning discretionary spending.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
The conversation, naturally, is about Lindsay and Danielle making up, and then Kyle wants Danielle to apologize to Amanda for having recently treated her badly.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Follmer wants to have movie showings in the natural amphitheater below the garden.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 2 June 2026
Warikoo argued the bigger question for business leaders is not simply what AI can replace, but what kind of workforce society wants to build alongside it—especially as technology gets close to AGI.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 June 2026
The Lebanese government, which wants Hezbollah to disarm, has begun direct negotiations with Israel today.
—Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 2 June 2026
The kind that wants to avoid the stuffy formalities and loud hubris that’s often touted at some of London’s other hotels.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Versant Media wants to sweat the short stuff.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 June 2026
And Impulse Space wants to be the chief provider of this last-leg transportation.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 2 June 2026
Because Ethan will be released back into the family’s care following his incarceration, the judge will take into consideration what the family wants when determining the length of Ethan’s prison term.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Noun
Their thinly sketched roles only underscore the welcome presence of Nate’s three daughters, who — while individualized with distinct wants and needs — maintain a feminine alliance that gives the story its heart.
—Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 27 May 2026
The price simply reflects the building’s capacity for satisfying human wants—with the latter as well as the former physical facts about the world.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
The fact that those dreary assessments have very little to do with the actual wants and needs of the vast majority of Californians — not to mention the state’s history of electing mostly dull and drab governors — should give their authors pause.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
But that conversation can’t be about your wants.
—Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026
Chesbrough thinks consumers are sometimes unrealistic in their wants.
—Alexa St. John, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Your current spending should align with your needs more than your wants at this moment.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
November 22 – December 21 Your current spending should align with your needs more than your wants at this moment.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
Here, the benchmark is to spend a maximum of 50% of your income on essentials and financial obligations, like rent, and then 30% on wants, meaning discretionary spending.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wants
Verb
-
Yet their invisible presence was a reminder that Hollywood still craves, and needs, Cannes glamour, and vice-versa.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
27 May 2026
-
But the thing one craves in good fiction is the eye-widening prompt to see things differently.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
To monetize on YouTube, a channel needs to have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of annual viewing time, according to YouTube’s monetization policy.—
Lauren Wilson,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
According to sources, Charles wishes to leave her the Keppel Tiara, a diamond-and-ruby piece valued at around $44,000, which originally belonged to Alice Keppel, Camilla’s great-great-grandmother.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
2 June 2026
-
Ned wishes to reveal Joffrey’s illegitimacy, but is instead betrayed by Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), imprisoned by Cersei, and beheaded in a public execution on Joffrey's orders.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
There are alligators aplenty in this area, and rumor has it that one likes to sun near the cottages in the high 20s—I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a pro or a con.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Away from the spotlight, Hernandez likes swimming, spending time with friends and working on her makeup routine.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The Drive The turbo engine gives it the push the standard engine lacks, especially when merging, climbing grades or passing.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Ford’s freedom or constraints, his prejudices or lacks, gauge his moment and ours.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than relying solely on manual workflows, modern platforms use automation to systematically explore potential attack paths, test common exploitation techniques, and identify reachable weaknesses across complex environments.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
The Tuesday order also comes after Anthropic captivated government officials and Wall Street earlier this year by announcing Claude Mythos Preview, a model that excels at identifying weaknesses and security flaws within software.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
In Cancer, Venus desires emotional safety, loyalty and genuine intimacy.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 May 2026
-
On the eve of her 18th birthday, June (now portrayed by Justine Moore) desires a love match.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The catch is that all of this requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, specifically an A17 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
In fact, keeping denim looking its best requires not washing them very often at all.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wants. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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