want
Americanverb (used with object)
-
wants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wanted,
past participle, past
-
wanting
present participle
-
to feel a need or a desire for; wish for.
to want one's dinner; always wanting something new.
-
to wish, need, crave, demand, or desire (often followed by an infinitive).
I want to see you.
She wants to be notified.
-
to be without or be deficient in.
to want judgment; to want knowledge.
- Synonyms:
- need
-
to fall short by (a specified amount).
The sum collected wants but a few dollars of the desired amount.
-
to require or need.
The house wants painting.
verb (used without object)
-
wants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wanted,
past participle, past
-
wanting
present participle
-
to feel inclined; wish; like (often followed byto ).
We can stay home if you want.
-
to be deficient by the absence of some part or thing, or to feel or have a need (sometimes followed byfor ).
He did not want for abilities.
-
to have need (usually followed byfor ).
If you want for anything, let him know.
-
to be in a state of destitution, need, or poverty.
She would never allow her parents to want.
-
to be lacking or absent, as a part or thing necessary to completeness.
All that wants is his signature.
noun
-
something wanted or needed; necessity.
My wants are few.
- Synonyms:
- desideratum
-
something desired, demanded, or required.
a person of childish, capricious wants.
-
absence or deficiency of something desirable or requisite; lack.
plants dying for want of rain.
- Synonyms:
- paucity, insufficiency, inadequacy, scarcity, dearth
-
the state of being without something desired or needed; need.
to be in want of an assistant.
-
the state of being without the necessaries of life; destitution; poverty.
a country where want is virtually unknown.
-
a sense of lack or need of something.
to feel a vague want.
idioms
verb
-
(tr) to feel a need or longing for
I want a new hat
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to wish, need, or desire (something or to do something)
he wants to go home
-
to be lacking or deficient (in something necessary or desirable)
the child wants for nothing
-
(tr) to feel the absence of
lying on the ground makes me want my bed
-
(tr) to fall short by (a specified amount)
-
(tr) to have need of or require (doing or being something)
your shoes want cleaning
-
(intr) to be destitute
-
(tr; often passive) to seek or request the presence of
you're wanted upstairs
-
(intr) to be absent
-
informal (tr; takes an infinitive) should or ought (to do something)
you don't want to go out so late
-
informal to wish to be included in a venture
-
informal to wish to be excluded from a venture
noun
-
the act or an instance of wanting
-
anything that is needed, desired, or lacked
to supply someone's wants
-
a lack, shortage, or absence
for want of common sense
-
the state of being in need; destitution
the state should help those in want
-
a sense of lack; craving
noun
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wantsimple
-
wantssimple
-
have wantedperfect
-
has wantedperfect
-
am wantingprogressive
-
are wantingprogressive
-
is wantingprogressive
-
have been wantingperfect progressive
-
has been wantingperfect progressive
Past
-
wantedsimple
-
had wantedperfect
-
was wantingprogressive
-
were wantingprogressive
-
had been wantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of want
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English wante, from Old Norse vanta “to lack”
Explanation
In all its forms, want has to do with the lack of having and the desire to have. You can want or desire something you’d like, or you can be in want of something you need. The word want goes back to the 12th century and the Old Norse language, where vanta meant "to be deficient," or “in want.” If someone keeps bugging you, you might lose patience and ask, "What do you want?" If you are seeking employment, check the "want ads" or look for signs saying "Help Wanted." If you are a "wanted criminal," you might have trouble getting hired.
Vocabulary lists containing want
"A Modest Proposal," Vocabulary from the satire
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
My mindset on this shifts often, but the one thing I’ll never want is for people to think that the machine made what I actually made.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
"I want to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way," Earl Spencer said of his reasons for writing the book.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Meanwhile, they work from home, make six figures, have a good work-life balance and can take breaks pretty much whenever they want.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
“And then we have several brands that are sitting on the sidelines, that want to enter the space, but don’t know how to navigate it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
I think that’s what I would want for myself.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The bond Paramount wants 12 states and the Writers Guild of America to post over their challenge to its $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The government wants to ensure that Native voices are heard in decisions about the town’s historic resources.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He wants to be “one of the first in my family to go to college.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
BBC Verify has been breaking down what Reform says it wants to do - and how realistic it is.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
“He keeps saying he wants to tell you something. . . . He says he’s ready to think of himself less.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
All but one wanted to remain anonymous, but described a "chaotic atmosphere" inside Millsike.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The coach must have wanted someone to be a pest going after quarterbacks with his lack of size.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Rather than recreating a ship with computer-generated images, Nolan wanted a real one, capable of sailing on the open sea with flesh-and-blood men aboard.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Long before hostilities were officially ended by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, the Iroquois wanted peace with the French.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
They have no prior notice that they are wanted or needed in the national military, but they arrive at their designated stations as requested.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
I understand not wanting to compete with your partner in comedy, but you are a very competitive person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Clearly it’ll take more, too, than wanting to make a good first impression on Skubal, the two-time Cy Young-award winner and free agent-to-be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The organiser of a group of affected residents accused the prime minister of not wanting to meet them, while Lecornu's office it has "nothing to hide" about how fire operations have been conducted, AFP reports.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The point is made, but it might have been made without a viewer wanting to dial 1-800-4-A-CHILD.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I had changed things at least half a dozen times, wanting the shop to feel uncluttered and elegant.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
