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)

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, want

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

   He lacks three votes to win.

verb (used without object)

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. 

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”

Example Sentences

Amid a perceived lack of summer investment, Celtic failed to qualify for the Champions League and stumbled out of the blocks domestically under Rodgers' leadership.

From BBC

That was a bit of a surprise, because of the Toffees' lack of firepower.

From BBC

Discomfort with one’s body was increasingly reframed by clinicians and activists as a psychological flaw, and the desire for physical change treated with suspicion, as if it betrayed a lack of self-acceptance.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s correct if he means a product that ends up lacking what the great Walter Lippmann once called “a sense of evidence.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“There are so many contributing factors ranging from the lack of evolution and true innovation of Musk’s product to the loss of the EV credits,” said Karl Brauer, an analyst at iSeeCars.com.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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