First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1want
verb \ˈwȯnt also ˈwänt & ˈwənt\
: to desire or wish for (something)
: to need (something)
: to be without (something needed)
Full Definition of WANT
intransitive verb
1
: to be needy or destitute
2
: to have or feel need <never wants for friends>
3
: to be necessary or needed
4
: to desire to come, go, or be <the cat wants in> <wants out of the deal>
transitive verb
1
: to fail to possess especially in customary or required amount : lack <the answer wanted courtesy>
2
a : to have a strong desire for <wanted a chance to rest> b : to have an inclination to : like <say what you want, he is efficient>
3
a : to have need of : require <the motor wants a tune-up> b : to suffer from the lack of <thousands still want food and shelter>
4
: ought —used with the infinitive <you want to be very careful what you say — Claudia Cassidy>
5
: to wish or demand the presence of
6
: to hunt or seek in order to apprehend <wanted for murder>
See want defined for English-language learners
See want defined for kids
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Origin of WANT
Middle English, from Old Norse vanta; akin to Old English wan deficient
Related to WANT
- Synonyms
- ache (for), covet, crave, desiderate, die (for), hanker (for or after), hunger (for), itch (for), jones (for) [slang], long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), salivate (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), desire, wish (for), yearn (for), yen (for)
Synonym Discussion of WANT
desire, wish, want, crave, covet mean to have a longing for. desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim <desires to start a new life>. wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable <wishes for permanent world peace>. want specifically suggests a felt need or lack <wants to have a family>. crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need <craves sweets>. covet implies strong envious desire <covets his rise to fame>.
2want
noun
: the state or condition of not having any or enough of something
: something that is desired or needed
: the state or condition of being poor
Full Definition of WANT
1
a : deficiency, lack <suffers from a want of good sense> b : grave and extreme poverty that deprives one of the necessities of life
3
: personal defect : fault
See want defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of WANT
13th century
Synonym Discussion of WANT
poverty, indigence, penury, want, destitution mean the state of one with insufficient resources. poverty may cover a range from extreme want of necessities to an absence of material comforts <the extreme poverty of the slum dwellers>. indigence implies seriously straitened circumstances <the indigence of her years as a graduate student>. penury suggests a cramping or oppressive lack of money <a catastrophic illness that condemned them to years of penury>. want and destitution imply extreme poverty that threatens life itself through starvation or exposure <lived in a perpetual state of want> <the widespread destitution in countries beset by famine>.
WANT Defined for Kids
1want
verb \ˈwȯnt, ˈwänt\
want·edwant·ing
Definition of WANT for Kids
1
: to desire, wish, or long for something <I want to go home.>
2
: to feel or suffer the need of something <… such a ghastly brew as to make me want to swoon. — Avi, Crispin>
3
: to be without : lack <Luckily, my family does not want much.>
2want
noun
Definition of WANT for Kids
2
: the state of being very poor <They died in want.>
3
: a wish for something : desire
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