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⇱ want - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

want

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈwɒnt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/wɑnt, wɔnt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(wont, wônt)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
want /wɑnt, wɔnt/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to feel a need for (or to);
    wish or desire;
    feel inclined;
    long for: [~ + object]The baby wants his dinner.[not: be + ~-ing;
    ~ (+ object) + to + verb]    I want to be alone. I want you to leave.
  2. to request the presence of:[~ + object]The boss wants you; better go right up.
  3. to require:[not: be + ~-ing;~ + verb-ing]The room wants cleaning.
  4. to have an arrest warrant for, or seek in order to question in connection with a criminal investigation:[not: be + ~-ing;~ + object;usually: be + ~-ed]He is wanted for armed robbery.
  5. to have a need:[no object;often: ~ + for]His family never wanted for anything.

n. 
  1. something wanted or needed:[countable]My wants are simple.
  2. deficiency;
    lack;
    a state of need:[uncountable]to be in want of an assistant.
  3. [uncountable] a state of poverty.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
want  (wont, wônt),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to feel a need or a desire for;
    wish for:to want one's dinner; always wanting something new.
  2. to wish, need, crave, demand, or desire (often fol. by an infinitive):I want to see you. She wants to be notified.
  3. to be without or be deficient in:to want judgment; to want knowledge.
  4. to fall short by (a specified amount):The sum collected wants but a few dollars of the desired amount.
  5. to require or need:The house wants painting.

v.i. 
  1. to feel inclined;
    wish;
    like (often fol. by to):We can stay home if you want.
  2. to be deficient by the absence of some part or thing, or to feel or have a need (sometimes fol. by for):He did not want for abilities.
  3. to have need (usually fol. by for):If you want for anything, let him know.
  4. to be in a state of destitution, need, or poverty:She would never allowher parents to want.
  5. to be lacking or absent, as a part or thing necessary to completeness:All that wants is his signature.
  6. Dialect Terms want in or out, [Chiefly Midland.]
    • to desire to enter or leave:The cat wants in.
    • Informal Termsto desire acceptance in or release from something specified:I talked with Louie about our plan, and he wants in.

n. 
  1. something wanted or needed;
    necessity:My wants are few.
  2. something desired, demanded, or required:a person of childish, capricious wants.
  3. absence or deficiency of something desirable or requisite;
    lack:plants dying for want of rain.
  4. the state of being without something desired or needed;
    need:to be in want of an assistant.
  5. the state of being without the necessaries of life;
    destitution;
    poverty:a country where want is virtually unknown.
  6. a sense of lack or need of something:to feel a vague want.
  • Old Norse vanta to lack
  • Middle English wante 1150–1200
want′er, n. 
want′less, adj. 
want′less•ness, n. 
    1. require, crave. See wish. 3. need. See lack. 12. desideratum. 14. dearth, scarcity, scarceness, inadequacy, insufficiency, paucity, meagerness. 16. privation, penury, indigence. See poverty. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
want /wɒnt/ vb
  1. (transitive) to feel a need or longing for: I want a new hat
  2. (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
  3. (intransitive) usually used with a negative and often followed by for: to be lacking or deficient (in something necessary or desirable): the child wants for nothing
  4. (transitive) to feel the absence of: lying on the ground makes me want my bed
  5. (transitive) to fall short by (a specified amount)
  6. (transitive) chiefly Brit to have need of or require (doing or being something): your shoes want cleaning
  7. (intransitive) to be destitute
  8. (transitive; often passive) to seek or request the presence of: you're wanted upstairs
  9. (intransitive) to be absent
  10. (transitive; takes an infinitive) informal should or ought (to do something): you don't want to go out so late
 n
  1. the act or an instance of wanting
  2. anything that is needed, desired, or lacked
  3. the state of being in need; destitution: the state should help those in want
  4. a sense of lack; craving
Etymology: 12th Century (vb, in the sense: it is lacking), C13 (n): from Old Norse vanta to be deficient; related to Old English wanian to waneˈwanter n
'want' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: their wants are [simple, easy, tough, complicated], want to [be, know, see, get, make, stop], satisfy all her wants and [needs, desires], more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "want" in the title:

< beset> by if they want
" I want us all to have been dealt a complex hand that will send me and all of us in a good loop for a long time."
- Don't you want us to see you? - Yes
- I don't say that it does, mind I want to know -
...all that I so want to give you
"...all you want to do at 16 is cry and put your d*ck in someone"
...if you want vs ...if you want to.
...so hard that you never want/ will want/ would want ...
...that he want it to be.
...you don't want to share <a> lousy one thousand dollars with me.
..be the last thing I want to do
'a didn't want to be fickle, but he couldn't help it
'didn't want /like' it
'I want to be a referee for your journal'?
'I will what I want'
'Try something you want' or 'try something you want to try'?
'want'
'Want' and 'need'
'Would be vs were' to want someone change their behavior / have different attitude towards someone else
'You want something' being used as a suggestion
'You'll want to do something" is used to make a suggestion?
(for) as long as you want
(How/What) do you want me to call you?
(I want to talk to you) like a person
(The) people who want .....
[Perfect Infinitive] Before I turn 40, I want to have written a book.
1. I want to learn/know ways/a way/ to improve my mood.
1="What do you want to have your ring engraved on?". 2="What do you want to have it engraved on your ring?"
60% of students want to become <doctors / a doctor / doctor>
A better word for many... i want to say (many) athletes are doping... ?
more...

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