want
Usage
What are other ways to say want?
The verb want, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment: People all over the world want peace. Wish implies the feeling of an impulse toward attainment or possession of something; the strength of the feeling may be of greater or lesser intensity: I wish I could go home. Desire, a more formal verb, suggests a strong wish: They desire liberation.
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:
And for painting, I didn’t want it to be this well-oiled machine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The Hunters want more consideration for victims during the bail process, as well as more repercussions for breaking bail conditions.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“I think the main thing these guys want is just to be off that ship, and have a decent meal and not have somebody be in charge of them for a few days,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Umbareen Mahmood, a surgeon in the report, notes: “What surgeons are hearing is that patients want to feel like a better restored version of themselves, not a different version.”
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
I think Ma won’t want to know about the dangers.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Carson wants to show it can compete against good Southern Section teams, and quarterback Chris Fields III gets the opportunity to show off his new weapons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The Blue Cross said it wants owners to ask for help before financial difficulties begin to affect the welfare of their animals.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Who wants to invest in something that, by the time you build it, the demand is down?” said John Auers, marketing director of refined fuels at oil-and-gas data analytics firm Novi Labs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Hou said the team also wants to identify modifiable neighborhood social determinants of health that could potentially become targets for intervention.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
Next summer I’ll be in Old Town Alexandria, seeing everything Jillian wants to share with me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Swinney also told the programme he wanted to create a "seamless service" for social care as the current system has "too many lines of accountability".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
She hopes to one day work as a public defender and wanted to see Banks’ defense in action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Long before Taylor became Olympic champion, she was a 10-year-old girl in Bray who simply wanted to box.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“I chose the name Bunga Karsa because I wanted my work to represent flowers created with intention — where every piece carries meaning, care and purpose.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“You didn’t see it because you saw what you wanted to see. You ignored what your gut was trying to tell you, what you didn’t want to hear, and focused on the good stuff.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“You can just imagine these guys wanting to get photos and asking them, ‘smile for us,’ or ‘pose for us.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Olver runs the menopause clinic at Aneurin Bevan's health board and said "we have definitely seen a very sharp increase in testosterone referrals from primary care - for women wanting to access it".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Bree begins the film desperately wanting gender-affirming surgery, so much so that her urgency incites the film’s madcap mumblecore events.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Markets will be wanting much -- but expecting little -- from US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh as he kicks off the Jackson Hole central banking conference in Wyoming on Friday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
It’s funny, seeing men wanting to leave the saloon duck their heads and walk backward inside.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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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