English Explanatory Dictionary

want

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To wish for or desire (something); to feel a need or desire for; to crave, hanker, or demand.
  2. To make it easy or tempting to do something undesirable, or to make it hard or challenging to refrain from doing it.
  3. To wish, desire, or demand to see, have the presence of or do business with.
  4. To desire (to experience desire); to wish.
  5. To be advised to do something (compare should, ought).
  6. To lack and be in need of or require (something, such as a noun or verbal noun).
  7. To have occasion for (something requisite or useful); to require or need.
  8. To be lacking or deficient or absent.
  9. To be in a state of destitution; to be needy; to lack.
  10. To lack and be without, to not have (something).
  11. To lack and perhaps be able or willing to do without.
  12. To desire a romantic or (especially) sexual relationship with someone; to lust for.
noun
  1. A desire, wish, longing.
  2. Lack, absence, deficiency.
  3. Poverty.
  4. Something needed or desired; a thing of which the loss is felt.
  5. A depression in coal strata, hollowed out before the subsequent deposition took place.
noun
  1. A mole (Talpa europea).
name
  1. A personification of want.

Pronunciation

wŏnt wŭnt /wɒnt/ En-uk-to want.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-want.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Nattes à chat-want.wav wônt /wɑnt/ /wʌnt/ /wɔnt/ en-us-want.ogg en-us-wont.ogg [wɔːnt] [wʌnt] /wɐnt/ /ʋɔɳʈ/ /ʋɑɳʈ/

Word forms

want wants wanting wanted no-table-tags glossary wantest wantedst wanteth waunt

Etymology

From Middle English wanten (“to lack, to need”), from Old Norse vanta (“to lack”), from Proto-Germanic *wanatōną (“to be wanting, lack”), from *wanô (“lack, deficiency”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”). Cognate with Middle High German wan (“not full, empty”), Middle Dutch wan (“empty, poor”), Old English wana (“want, lack, absence, deficiency”), Latin vanus (“empty”). See wan, wan-.

Synonyms

set one's heart on wish for would like ache appetize aspire covet crave desire dream eye fancy fond heart hope hunger jones like thirst wish need be in need of lack be without

Antonyms

dislike hate unwant

Derived words

all one wants do not want do want I don't want it I don't want to buy anything I don't want to talk about it I want doesn't get I want my money back I want to go to the toilet I want to know I want to speak to the manager haircut not want to do that pay what you want Polly want a cracker unwanted wanna want-away wanted wanter want for want for nothing want in wanting want list want no part of want one's bumps feeling want one's bumps felt want out want someone's nachos want-to want to want-to-be want to bet want to know waste not, want not what do you want who wants to know? you don't want to know you want a cookie you want a piece of me for want of want ad wantful wantish wantless want must be one's master wantsome wanty
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