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.

---

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

---

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• lacking
  present
• lacked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lack
  simple
• lacks
  simple
• have lacked
  perfect
• has lacked
  perfect
• am lacking
  progressive
• are lacking
  progressive
• is lacking
  progressive
• have been lacking
  perfect progressive
• has been lacking
  perfect progressive

Past

• lacked
  simple
• had lacked
  perfect
• was lacking
  progressive
• were lacking
  progressive
• had been lacking
  perfect progressive

Future

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

See Examples For:

lack lacks lacked lacking

Thatcher has been searching for her niche for a moment, but the delay hasn’t been for lack of trying.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

The three confederations said this failed to "recognise that proper governance in the face of such a profound lack of judgement would require that such a review be conducted by a fully independent third party".

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Sonders: Probably a lack of some of the traditional disciplines.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

While some companies may be well suited to semiannual reporting, others may adopt it because they lack financial discipline, Wells noted in his letter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The truth is Alaska is for real, and with a lack of knowledge, of understanding, this reality comes with sometimes great and sometimes lethal danger.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

However, he lacks consistency, or an obvious position in the squad, and Lacey was used ahead of him in the number 10 role at times.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

It lacks a resident navigation system but you can download apps—someone before me had downloaded YouTube, for instance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

When easyJet lacks staff at an airport, they are called in from another base, which must then fill its own gaps, said Bourdon.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

CNN inexplicably settles for photos over video way too often and races through so many touchstones that the series often lacks sports context.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

In spite of these notable lacks, the expanse of grey stone was undoubtedly a door.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

But Guessos said that young people in the country lacked places "where they can express their frustrations, defend their rights and take part".

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Leavitt lacked the understanding, intelligence or inclination to manage the situation.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Another team was deeply concerned that Harvard Square lacked hot-cookie delivery at 3 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“He told me that he felt like this world lacked compassion for human life and that he had never been given a fair chance in life.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Really, it was difficult to know what such powerful spirits lacked.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

They found that mice lacking CRH receptor 1 produced more OPCs during the early stages of development.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

Should Rodri depart, Maresca's side are somewhat lacking in leaders, with club captain Silva and experienced campaigners John Stones and Nathan Ake also leaving.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Timely communication was a concern at times, the report said, with the department lacking a necessary number of radio wave frequencies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

On arriving in Baku, in today’s Azerbaijan, Robert found a land saturated in oil but lacking the capital and the technology to take advantage of it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

It revived some of the campaign-era speculation that I was generally uncouth and lacking the standard elegance of a First Lady, and worried me somewhat, too, thinking I’d possibly distracted from Barack’s efforts abroad.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

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