- present participle of want.
wanting
Americanadjective
-
lacking or absent.
a motor with some of the parts wanting.
-
deficient in some part, thing, or respect.
to be wanting in courtesy.
preposition
-
lacking; without.
a box wanting a lid.
-
less; minus.
a century wanting three years.
adjective
-
lacking or absent; missing
-
not meeting requirements or expectations
you have been found wanting
preposition
-
without
-
archaic minus
Etymology
Origin of wanting
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (adjective); want + -ing 2
Explanation
If something's wanting, there's not enough of something necessary in it. If your essay is wanting, it's missing something important and won't get an A. Try adding body paragraphs. If you forget the sugar in your chocolate chip cookies, you'll find them wanting when you taste them. Likewise, if your favorite team's defense is wanting, they're likely to lose the basketball game. Wanting, which was originally wantand, comes from the verb want, "to be lacking." This definition pre-dated the now more common "to wish for" by 500 years.
Vocabulary lists containing wanting
Nobody's Home: Synonyms For "Absent"
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Absent
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Lacking
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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.
“A lot of my interest in finance really comes from watching how hard my parents worked and wanting to make sure the sacrifices they made weren’t wasted,” Lee said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 11, 2026
After seeing “Little Bear Ridge Road” on Broadway in the fall, I immediately requested a copy of the script, wanting to spend more time with the hauntingly unresolved characters.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
He woke up feeling poorly, half wanting to go home and half wanting to go back to the track.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
The long hours and stress left him wanting a change.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
The muscles in the backs of his legs tingled, wanting to take off, all but screaming, Run!
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
