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Definitions

want

[wont, wawnt] / wɒnt, wɔnt /
NOUN
desire
Synonyms
STRONGEST
need wish
STRONG
appetite craving demand fancy hankering hunger longing necessity requirement thirst yearning yen
Antonyms
STRONG
dislike distaste hate hatred indifference
WEAK
abundance disinterest plenty
NOUN
lack, need
Synonyms
STRONG
absence dearth default defect deficiency destitution exigency famine impecuniousness impoverishment inadequacy indigence insufficiency meagerness neediness paucity pauperism penury poorness poverty privation scantiness scarcity shortage
WEAK
exiguousness skimpiness
Antonyms
STRONG
abundance adequacy advantage affluence enough excess perfection plenty satisfaction sufficiency wealth
WEAK
disinterest dislike hate
VERB
desire
Synonyms
STRONGEST
choose crave need prefer require wish
STRONG
ache aspire covet fancy hanker hunger long lust pine thirst yearn
WEAK
be greedy could do with desiderate feel a need have a passion for have a yen for have ambition have an urge for have eyes for incline toward itch for spoil for
Antonyms
STRONGEST
dislike hate have not want spurn
STRONG
despise
VERB
lack, need
Synonyms
STRONGEST
call for demand require
STRONG
miss starve
WEAK
be deficient be deprived of be found wanting be insufficient be poor be short of be without fall short in have need of stand in need of
Antonyms
WEAK
despise dislike hate have

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.

“We don’t want to split, right? That’s a problem,” the charter member of the woman’s GOP group said after seeing Bianco speak.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Some Katseye fans, known as Eyekons, have complained on YouTube and social media about her absence from the latest music video, with some commenting: "We want Manon."

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Demonstrators also want fuel prices to be capped and oil exploration off the west coast of Ireland to begin.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

But I want you to be careful about making your change permanent when everything else is in flux.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

He texts, telling me he doesn’t want to see me.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam