lack

American  

[lak] / læk /

noun

1. an absence or inadequate amount of something needed, desirable, or customary.

   We had to severely limit our holiday gift shopping due to lack of funds.

   Lack of skill is the main reason he didn’t get the job.

   Synonyms:

   need, want, insufficiency, deficit, paucity, scarcity, dearth

   Antonyms:

   surplus

2. something missing or needed.

   After he left, they really felt the lack.

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verb (used with object)

lacks, present (3rd person singular) lacked, past participle, past lacking present participle

1. to be without or deficient in.

   She wants to become an actor, but unfortunately she lacks ability.

   Many of the villagers lacked even the basic necessities of life.

   Synonyms:

   need, want

2. to fall short of a target or requirement by (a particular amount).

   He lacks three votes to win.

verb (used without object)

lacks, present (3rd person singular) lacked, past participle, past lacking present participle

1. to be absent or missing, as something needed or desirable.

   Three votes are lacking to make a majority.

verb phrase

1. lack in to be short of or deficient in.

   What he lacks in brains, he makes up for in brawn.

lack British  

/ læk /

noun

1. an insufficiency, shortage, or absence of something required or desired

2. something that is required but is absent or in short supply

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verb

1. to be deficient (in) or have need (of)

   to lack purpose

Usage

What are other ways to say lack? To lack something is to be without or deficient in it. How does lack compare to synonyms want, need, and require? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have lacked
  perfect
• has lacked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been lacking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are lacking
  progressive
• is lacking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• lacking
  participle
• am lacking
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been lacking
  perfect progressive
• lacks
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had lacked
  perfect
• was lacking
  progressive singular
• had been lacking
  perfect progressive
• lacked
  participle
• lacked
  simple
• were lacking
  progressive plural

Future

• will lack
  simple
• will have lacked
  perfect
• will have been lacking
  perfect progressive
• will be lacking
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of lack

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English lak; cognate with Middle Low German lak, Middle Dutch lac “deficiency”; akin to Old Norse lakr “deficient”

Explanation

If you lack something, you need or want something that's missing. When there's a lack of food, people starve. There are a lot of things lacking in the world. If you have no video games, then you're lacking them. People who are thirsty and starving lack food and water. Many people lack money and health care. A lack of something is the opposite of an abundance of something. If you have plenty of books, then you don't lack them — though you may lack enough time to read them all.

Example Sentences

This lack of a roughly circular orbit around the Sun suggested either an impact early in its lifetime that put it on this path, or gravitational influence from planet nine.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

DUP MP Jim Shannon highlighted this lack of oversight a sector that predominantly caters for "sleep-deprived and vulnerable parents".

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Despite the company's lack of a competitive AI offering, Apple shares have largely defied gravity over the past two years, and the stock is up about 15 percent this year.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

But these efforts have often been uncoordinated, resulting in overlaps, inefficiencies, a general lack of scale and sometimes incompatibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The lack of sleep catching up with me, the fear and tumult over the last week.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• absence
• dearth
• inadequacy
• loss
• paucity
• poverty
• reduction
• scarcity
• shortage
• shortcoming
• shortfall