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
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English wante, from 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. 2023
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.