want

Use want in a sentence

They all want this cup of coffee.

noun

The definition of a want is something desired or wished for.
An example of want is a latte with an extra shot of espresso after a tiring day.

verb

Want is defined as to feel a wish, desire or need for something.
An example of want is to desire a cup of coffee.

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"want." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WANT>.

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want. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WANT

want

to have too little of; be deficient in; lack
to be short by (a specified amount): it wants twelve minutes of midnight
to feel the need of; long for; crave: to want adventure
to desire; wish or long: followed by the infinitive: to want to travel
1. to wish to see or speak with (someone): wanted on the phone
2. to wish to apprehend, as for questioning or arrest: wanted by the police
Chiefly Brit. to require; need: this wants attending to

Origin of want

Middle English wanten from Old Norse vanta, to be lacking, want: see wantthe noun

to have a need or lack: usually with for: to want for money
to lack the necessities of life; be destitute or impoverished: “Waste not, want not”
Rare to be lacking or missing for completeness or a certain result: there wants but his approval

the state or fact of lacking, or having too little of, something needed or desired; scarcity; shortage; lack: to suffer from want of adequate care
a lack of the necessities of life; poverty; destitution: to live in want
a wish or desire for something; craving
something needed or desired but lacking; need

Origin of want

ME < ON vant, neut. of vanr, deficient < IE base *(e)w?-, to lack > L vanus, empty

want Idioms

want in (or out or off, etc.)

Informal to want to get, go, or come in (or out, off, etc.)

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MLA Style

"want." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WANT>.

APA Style

want. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WANT

want

verb

want·ed, want·ing, wants

verb

transitive

a. To have a strong feeling to have (something); wish (to possess or do something); desire greatly: She wants a glass of water. They want to leave. See Synonyms at desire.
b. To desire (someone to do something): I want you to clean your room.
a. To request the presence or assistance of: You are wanted by your office.
b. To seek with intent to capture: The fugitive is wanted by the police.
To have an inclination toward; like: Say what you want, but be tactful.
Informal To be obliged (to do something): You want to be careful on the ice.
To be in need of; require: “'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter” ( Lewis Carroll )
To be without; lack.

verb

intransitive

To be inclined or desirous; wish: Call me daily if you want.

noun

The condition or quality of lacking something usual or necessary: stayed home for want of anything better to do.
Pressing need; destitution: lives in want.
Something desired: a person of few wants and needs.
A defect of character; a fault.

Phrasal Verbs: want for To be in need of: You shall want for nothing. want in Slang To desire greatly to enter: The dog wants in. To wish to join a project, business, or other undertaking. want out Slang To desire greatly to leave: The cat wants out. To wish to leave a project, a business, or other undertaking.

Origin of want

Middle English wanten to be lacking from Old Norse vanta ; see euə- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

want′er
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"want." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 12 April 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WANT>.

APA Style

want. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WANT

Verb

(third-person singular simple present wants, present participle wanting, simple past and past participle wanted)

To wish for or to desire (something). [from 18th c.]
What do you want to eat? I want you to leave. I never wanted to go back to live with my mother. I want to be an astronaut when I'm older. I don't want him to marry Gloria, I want him to marry me! What do you want from me? Do you want anything from the shops?
(intransitive, now dated) To be lacking, not to exist. [from 13th c.]
There was something wanting in the play.
To lack, not to have (something). [from 13th c.]
(colloquially with verbal noun as object) To be in need of; to require (something). [from 15th c.]
That chair wants fixing.
(intransitive, dated) To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.

Usage notes

This is a catenative verb.

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural wants)

(countable) A desire, wish, longing.
(countable, often followed by of) Lack, absence.
(uncountable) Poverty.
Something needed or desired; a thing of which the loss is felt.
(UK, mining) A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.

Origin

From Middle English wanten (“to lack"), from Old Norse vanta (“to lack"), from Proto-Germanic *wanatÅnÄ… (“to be wanting, lack"), from *wanÃ´ (“lack, deficiency"), from Proto-Indo-European *(e)wAn-, *wÄn- (“empty"). Cognate with Middle High German wan (“not full, empty"), Middle Dutch wan (“empty, poor"), Old English wana (“want, lack, absence, deficiency"), Latin vanus (“empty"). See wan.