lacked; lacking; lacks
1
: to be deficient or missing
time is lacking for a full explanation
2
: to be short or have need of something
he will not lack for advisers
The area does not lack for good restaurants.
: to stand in need of : suffer from the absence or deficiency of
lack the necessities of life
She lacked confidence.
1
: the fact or state of being wanting or deficient
a lack of evidence
2
: something that is lacking or is needed
Synonyms
Examples of lack in a Sentence
Verb
His book lacks any coherent structure.
They lack a good strategy for winning the election.
This painting lacks any artistic value.
She has never been accused of lacking confidence.
Many of these people lack the basic necessities of life.
Noun
The problem is a lack of money.
She has been suffering from a lack of sleep lately.
Her problem is lack of sleep.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Though Ruffin’s book offers a few modern updates to the lingo and gives her companions new back stories, Dorothy still lacks dimension, and Lewis struggles to fill her in with any emotional shading.
—Maya Phillips, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Lakers should have help behind him with Gabe Vincent and Spencer Dinwiddie, two physical defenders who play a style that the Lakers lacked a year ago.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Maui Fire Department also lacks hand crews to perform brush-clearing work, the report noted, an essential tool in wildfire prevention.
—Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Premature infants lack access to donor milk not because of problems with milk donation or banking, but because of cost.
—Sionika Thayagabalu and Dominick Lemas, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024
But the limited observer status also means that Palestinians still lack the power to vote on resolutions.
—Michele Kelemen, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
The Justice Department told the Supreme Court in a filing that the 9th Circuit was right to find that the Eighth Amendment prohibits a local government from effectively criminalizing homelessness by prohibiting individuals who lack access to shelter from residing in that area.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
The school lacks a formal accreditation from the American Montessori Society or Association Montessori Internationale, according to the organizations’ websites.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Even though fans have long been core to sports, there’s still a lack of engagement, SentientSport’s CEO Ryan Beal told Fortune.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Apr. 2024
The Milwaukee County district attorney also declined to charge two commissioners in his county, saying there was a lack of evidence that a crime was committed.
—Scott Bauer, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
At the hearing, prosecutors did not request bail, due to a lack of evidence at the time.
—Walter Ray Watson, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
While the reports capture crime on campus, critics say there is a lack of reporting for off-campus incidents and that the reports fail to adequately show how safe a campus really is.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
The upper chamber is filled with 3.75 ml of oil, which creates and almost surreal lack of distortion when vieweing the dial through the crystal.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2024
For creatives like Alabi-Williams, the lack of prescription in filmmaking, while challenging, offers a blank canvas to bring colorful stories to life.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024
This isn’t for a lack of demand, Trippett told the 19th News.
—Katherine Goldstein, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Verb
The three-day seminar focused on how to best allocate funds raised from the World Cup and other tournaments for the development of the sport, particularly in countries lacking resources.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Though Ruffin’s book offers a few modern updates to the lingo and gives her companions new back stories, Dorothy still lacks dimension, and Lewis struggles to fill her in with any emotional shading.
—Maya Phillips, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Lakers should have help behind him with Gabe Vincent and Spencer Dinwiddie, two physical defenders who play a style that the Lakers lacked a year ago.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The Maui Fire Department also lacks hand crews to perform brush-clearing work, the report noted, an essential tool in wildfire prevention.
—Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Premature infants lack access to donor milk not because of problems with milk donation or banking, but because of cost.
—Sionika Thayagabalu and Dominick Lemas, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024
But the limited observer status also means that Palestinians still lack the power to vote on resolutions.
—Michele Kelemen, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
The Justice Department told the Supreme Court in a filing that the 9th Circuit was right to find that the Eighth Amendment prohibits a local government from effectively criminalizing homelessness by prohibiting individuals who lack access to shelter from residing in that area.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
The school lacks a formal accreditation from the American Montessori Society or Association Montessori Internationale, according to the organizations’ websites.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
On Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell firmly shut the door on rate cuts, citing lack of confidence in progress on inflation.
—Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Even though fans have long been core to sports, there’s still a lack of engagement, SentientSport’s CEO Ryan Beal told Fortune.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Apr. 2024
The Milwaukee County district attorney also declined to charge two commissioners in his county, saying there was a lack of evidence that a crime was committed.
—Scott Bauer, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
At the hearing, prosecutors did not request bail, due to a lack of evidence at the time.
—Walter Ray Watson, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
While the reports capture crime on campus, critics say there is a lack of reporting for off-campus incidents and that the reports fail to adequately show how safe a campus really is.
—Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024
The upper chamber is filled with 3.75 ml of oil, which creates and almost surreal lack of distortion when vieweing the dial through the crystal.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2024
For creatives like Alabi-Williams, the lack of prescription in filmmaking, while challenging, offers a blank canvas to bring colorful stories to life.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024
This isn’t for a lack of demand, Trippett told the 19th News.
—Katherine Goldstein, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to lack
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Cite this Entry
“Lack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lack. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lack
1 of 2 verb1
: to be missing
2
: to need, want, or be short of
lacks money
lack
2 of 2 noun1
: the fact or state of being absent or in short supply
2
: something that is lacking or is needed
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