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
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
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 May 2025
What To Know Officials previously raised concerns about the water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, following a lacking winter snowpack that threatened to stall progress made during last year's wetter-than-average season.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 May 2025
The lack of movement in the Mainland market shows that domestic issues, as opposed to foreign matters, are weighing on local sentiment.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lack
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The company hopes its strong brand will attract subscribers to Fox One, which will lack the archival film and TV content of those other streamers.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 May 2025
What To Know Officials previously raised concerns about the water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, following a lacking winter snowpack that threatened to stall progress made during last year's wetter-than-average season.
—Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Noun
The defendants insisted there was no conspiracy and that NASL’s lack of recognition as a D1 or D2 league reflected its failure to meet objective metrics, including minimum stadium seating capacity, number of teams and time zone coverage.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 May 2025
The lack of movement in the Mainland market shows that domestic issues, as opposed to foreign matters, are weighing on local sentiment.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lack
Cite this Entry
“Lack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lack. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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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