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

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

There are also examples of advisers pushing for mortgages for friends and romantic partners who lack the proper down payment, income or other criteria needed, the people said and documents show.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

An ongoing lack of rain means hosepipe bans are in force for millions of households and dry vegetation has provided fuel for wildfires to burn in a number of areas.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

But it has struggled against a lack of enforcement power and several nations -- notably China, Israel, Russia and the United States -- do not recognise its jurisdiction, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

While Apple received initial criticism for its perceived lack of an AI strategy, it’s paying off in the current market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The enigmatic fellow was well aware of the estate’s predicament, as he himself was a skilled sandwich maker, and the lack of bread had deprived him of his favorite lunchtime meal.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Inflammatory breast cancer is where cancer blocks lymph vessels which makes the breast red and swollen while triple negative breast cancer lacks hormones and HER2 receptors.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Despite her national profile, there remains a nagging suspicion that she lacks an internal compass and the courage of her convictions.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Lehigh Acres lacks a local government and is straining to keep up with growth as roads, water lines and services fall behind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The deal also lacks specific provisions for international inspections, something the country reportedly insisted on.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

“No!” whispered Montag, “The zipper displaces the button and a man lacks just that much time to think while dressing at. dawn, a philosophical hour, and thus a melancholy hour.”

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

Pro softball leagues have existed since 1976, but they have lacked the visibility and accessibility imperative to flourishing and gaining popularity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Argenx said the deal allows it to add to its pipeline Forte’s experimental drug FB102, for which it sees potential to address diseases with high unmet need that have lacked new treatments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Children who already had high blood pressure or lacked dietary information at the beginning of the study were excluded from the analysis.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

The report also found that the pilot lacked sufficient flight training and proper ground supervision.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

I can see now that what I mostly lacked at Nationals was maturity—and practice time in the gym.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

PC Harper's mother Debbie Adlam says the justice system has been "lacking"

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Barker’s screenplay is sorely lacking the imagination and ambition needed to stake its place among the true classics, horror or otherwise.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Official statistics are lacking, but media in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have reported an increasing number of victims.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

In contrast, mice lacking functional mGluR4 or NPDC1 did not.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Because Lazlo, lacking one himself, tended to forget about mothers.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

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