want: Meaning and Definition of

want

Pronunciation: (wont, wônt), [key]
—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:her parents to want. She would never allow
  5. to be lacking or absent, as a part or thing necessary to completeness: All that wants is his signature.
  6. The cat wants in.
    1. to desire to enter or leave:The cat wants in.
    2. Informal.to 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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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