want

want · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    To have a desire to possess or do something.

  2. 2.

    To wish for or desire.

  3. 3.

    (Informal) Ought or should.

  4. 4.

    To lack or be without something.

  5. 5.

    A lack or deficiency of something.

  6. 6.

    A desire for something.

Related words

Antonyms: have, possess
See also: desire, lack, need, wish
Synonyms: crave, desire, need, wish

Etymology

From Old Norse "vanta" meaning "to lack, be wanting," from Proto-Germanic "*wanataz." The original sense was "to lack" or "be without," which is still preserved in formal English. The meaning shifted to "desire" (wanting what one lacks) in Middle English.