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:
"You could see how the team responded and how they were with the fans. It was pure joy and happiness. We want to capitalise on these emotions."
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Why would you want to be with an overweight, broke dude?” he texted at one point.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
“We’re gonna be very sober-minded about the challenge, and I want you all to know the odds that we are facing,” Johnson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
"We are here for one reason: we want to stay in our country and not have to dream of a life elsewhere," Rosela Mira, a first-year medical student, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Don’t you want me to be tough? Become a man?”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
John Healey has made it clear publicly and to staff, that he wants to encourage people with the guts and drive to start a business.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
“You have a protest movement that, like every social movement, is impatient and wants responses immediately.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
"What the regime wants is to intimidate, silence and frighten society through such pressure -- by arresting individual journalists, seizing media outlets, banning news coverage and blocking access to social media," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Just because he wants to downsize does not mean that he doesn’t love the memories, too.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
“I couldn’t care less what he wants right now.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
He signed a relatively conservative two-year, $28-million deal with the Clippers, turning down other offers in part because he wanted to stay in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
There was not much more talking to do so we just wanted to celebrate with them.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Why, Johnson wanted to know, had that money ended up in Stafford’s account?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
He added that the investment group also didn’t have the money to make the improvements they wanted for their vision of a private club with special privileges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
He wanted to talk to the new governor in private.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
There was something intrinsic about this show that kept America wanting more of it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Their demands vary, but they are united in wanting to make their often marginalised voices heard, sometimes even with radical methods in the face of heavy-handed policing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
"It's hard work, so there's huge problems with people wanting to do exercise. If we can make it short, we're part way there."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Grant and Marston speak of being influenced by passionate social media creators who celebrate books, wanting to build a community as much as an event space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
I call Mom, wanting to ask her to come back and get me.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
