1
as in to crave
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 to need
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 to wish
to see fit
do what you want
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to like
to wish to have
I want some ice cream for dessert, please
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in lack
the fact or state of being absent
the proverb that begins, "for want of a nail, the shoe was lost"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there's a notable want of teachers in that rural school district
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in need
a state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful
those children are in want of some good discipline
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4
as in poverty
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
grew up in extreme want
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in failing
a defect in character
she's well-meaning and kind, but her besetting want is a complete lack of tact
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of want
Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
Now, an expert in military manpower at RAND wants to see the services shift their focus from quantity to quality.
—Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2025
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
How to go about promoting healthy hair growth depends on your specific wants and needs, but one thing is certain: There is no quick fix.
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for want
Verb
Jukebox Broadway musicals need conflict and the evil suits at Capitol Records are a perennial villain for artists who just want to be themselves.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
Now, an expert in military manpower at RAND wants to see the services shift their focus from quantity to quality.
—Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
What once was just a faint want had become a point of pride and passion.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2025
How to go about promoting healthy hair growth depends on your specific wants and needs, but one thing is certain: There is no quick fix.
—Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for want
Recent Examples of Synonyms for want
Verb
-
At that moment in his life, Bacon was craving some peace of mind.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
For those who still crave that feeling, but don’t have a private-jet budget, BeOnd—a boutique, all-business-class airline—is pitching itself as the next best thing.—
Scott Campbell,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Jones will need to undoubtedly run a personal best in the 100-meters to walk home with $100,000.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Azaleas may need watering daily at first then after several months every two to three days.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
For Moss’ character, June Osborne, being stripped of all agency left her curled on a closet floor wishing for the end of her life.—
Trish Deitch,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion and one of the biggest names on LIV Golf, wishes that a merger were closer but is also not ready to dwell on that during the first major of the season.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
During her years on the show, she became known as a shade queen who liked to twirl (her signature move and catchphrase).—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Dan [Fogelman] doesn’t like anybody to be purely evil or purely good.—
Scott Huver,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Still, the Mets have largely been able to overcome a lack of production at the bottom because of a strong bullpen.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Physical resistance is not required on the part of the victim to demonstrate lack of consent.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In 2021, as automakers tried to ramp up production that had been curtailed in the first year of the pandemic, a shortage of parts, most notably computer chips, cut into car production.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
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Labor costs, in particular, have ballooned amid staffing shortages and wage hikes, with much of the value siphoned off by contract labor firms.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The problems of poverty — food insecurity, substandard housing, evictions, addiction, unemployment, exposure to violence — impact how kids learn.—
Adam Schwartz,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Globalization did lift more than a billion people out of poverty, an astounding feat.—
Michael B. G. Froman,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Despite efforts by the small Republican contingent in the state Legislature to cast light on these failings, the agency remained immune from true accountability until the pandemic-era disaster struck.—
Lanhee J. Chen,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2025
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But the fund’s failings struck at the heart of New York’s intentions, said Eric Olson, a corporate and finance lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb, a white-shoe firm helping some licensees to develop their businesses pro bono.—
Ashley Southall,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Want.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/want. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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