This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
want
[ wont, wawnt ]
/ wɒnt, wɔnt /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
OTHER WORDS FOR want
3 need.
11 desideratum.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"
"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."
Question 1 of 7
IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?
Idioms about want
- to desire to enter or leave: The cat wants in.
- Informal. to desire acceptance in or release from something specified: I talked with Louie about our plan, and he wants in.
want in / out, Chiefly Midland.
Origin of want
1150–1200; Middle English wante<Old Norse vanta to lack
OTHER WORDS FROM want
Words nearby want
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
WHEN TO USE
What are other ways to say want?
To want is to feel a need or a desire for something. How is want different from desire and wish? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
How to use want in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for want (1 of 2)
want1
/ (wɒnt) /
verb
noun
Derived forms of want
wanter, nounWord Origin for want
C12 (vb, in the sense: it is lacking), C13 (n): from Old Norse vanta to be deficient; related to Old English wanian to wane
British Dictionary definitions for want (2 of 2)
want2
/ (wɒnt) /
noun
English dialect a mole
Word Origin for want
Old English wand
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with want
want
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.