for (the) want of

idiom

: because of not having (something) : because (something) does not exist or is not available

For want of a better name, let's call it "Operation One."

People are dying for want of medical treatment.

The project failed for the want of adequate funding.

Examples of for (the) want of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The perception is that there is a, for want of a better expression, a code switching that people lean into. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024

Moctezuma is a capricious ruler who executes courtiers for minute breaches of protocol and who might just lose an entire kingdom for want of a horse. —Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024

Cusipaucar, 58, cultivates 50 varieties of potato, but can market only four, for want of commercial demand. —Simeon Tegel, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2024

Christopher Esber is a good example of playing between dress-up moments and moments where things can be, for want of a better word, simpler. —Mark Holgate, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2023

Bakeries in Gaza have closed for want of fuel and flour, according to Abdul Nasser al-Ajrami, chairman of the Gaza Bakeries Association. —Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023

If public transportation had to cut service for want of fares, the city would grow unfriendly to work. —Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023

The enclave’s sole power plant shut down Wednesday afternoon for want of fuel. —Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023

Pants ride lower and shirts cling tighter for want of a perch, but there’s something to be said for a loose shirt free to snatch a breeze on your behalf. —Melvin Backman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023