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

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

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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”

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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

"People who stepped forward prepared to put their lives on the line for the rest of us should never lack a roof over their head," Burnham said in a statement issued on Saturday.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

Many people struggle with loneliness and lack of purpose when they leave their jobs, and the effects can be profound.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026

Nationwide, a lack of logistical support can drive melt, particularly for lower-income and first-generation students.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Meanwhile, New York state prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into the incident after local authorities said they declined to pursue the case in 2024 over an apparent lack of evidence.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 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

The foveola contains red and green cones but lacks blue cones, which are found in other retinal regions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

If the language of the text message is ambiguous, lacks intent, or could be referring to any number of transactions, you would have a steep hill to climb.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Despite its proximity to one of Ecuador's most strategic military installations, the town lacks access to drinking water.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

It includes three studios, offices, tons of recording equipment, including two grand pianos, lounges, and a kitchen that pointedly lacks a stove.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

“Your brother lacks your skills, I’m afraid,” she said.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

But his director’s eye lacked style and discernment.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

But James, a Democrat who was elected Tuesday to a third term, faced criticism because her office lacked expertise in sex-crimes prosecutions—and because she had expressed solidarity with the accuser.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Ferrero later said Zverev lacked the professionalism he expected from a top player.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

I am returning to a world carefully crafted to drive me insane, but armed with knowledge I lacked when I left.

From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026

But Pendleton’s attention had been fixed on his own chief and he apparently had lacked the wherewithal to say anything in this drawn-out moment of the drama.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

“In 2014, I realized there was massive whitespace in a stale category that was lacking innovation,” Jesse Merrill, Good Culture’s co-founder and CEO, said in that release.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026

Amid such uncertainty, faith offers a sense of comfort and protection lacking in everyday life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Critics called the ex-convict lifestyle host “grotesque” and accused her of lacking empathy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Scientists have discovered that certain tumors considered less threatening can contain hidden populations of highly aggressive cancer cells, potentially explaining why some children experience devastating outcomes despite lacking the usual genetic warning signs.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

They would just think that this was an empty thing, that that’s what’s supposed to be, that there’s something perfectly normal about a thing that exists entirely because it is lacking something.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

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Related Words

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

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