What does "lack" mean?

1. (an absence or shortage) a situation where you do not have something, or you do not have enough of it. 2. (to not have something) to not have something that you need or that would be helpful.

How do you use "lack"?

As a noun, it is frequently followed by the preposition 'of'. This is a stative verb and is rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.

lack — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "There is a lack about communication in the office."?

No — say "There is a lack of communication in the office.". The noun 'lack' is almost always followed by the preposition 'of'.

Q: Is it correct to say "He lacks of the experience for this job."?

No — say "He lacks the experience for this job.". Unlike the noun, the verb 'lack' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'of'.

Word

01an absence or shortage

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a situation where you do not have something, or you do not have enough of it.

n. the state of being without or having an insufficient quantity of something necessary or desirable.

“The project failed because of a lack of money and time.”

“The committee expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the selection process, suggesting it might undermine public trust.”

Usage

As a noun, it is frequently followed by the preposition 'of'.

Pitfall

There is a lack about communication in the office.

There is a lack of communication in the office.

The noun 'lack' is almost always followed by the preposition 'of'.

Synonyms

shortage dearth absence scarcity

Antonyms

abundance surplus plenty

02to not have something

B1 · Intermediate

v. to not have something that you need or that would be helpful.

v. to be without or deficient in something; functions as a stative verb.

“He is very smart, but he lacks the confidence to speak in public.”

“While the novel is technically proficient, it lacks the emotional depth required to truly resonate with a modern audience.”

Usage

This is a stative verb and is rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.

Pitfall

He lacks of the experience for this job.

He lacks the experience for this job.

Unlike the noun, the verb 'lack' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'of'.

Teaching tip

Remind students that while the noun takes 'of', the verb takes a direct object with no preposition.

Synonyms

want need require

Antonyms

possess have

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “lack” in context.

Verb

01. address lack

“The government is introducing new laws to address the lack of affordable housing.”

verb + noun

Adjective

02. apparent lack

“The manager was frustrated by the team's apparent lack of effort.”

adj + noun

03. complete lack

“The project failed because of a complete lack of interest from the public.”

adj + noun

04. lack of access

05. lack of accountability

06. lack of transparency

07. lacks evidence

08. lack of accessible

09. lack of career

10. lack of information

11. lack of infrastructure

12. compensate for the lack of

“They used bright colors to compensate for the lack of natural light.”

From Middle English lack, lakke, lak, from Old English læc (“deficiency, lack, want”), from Proto-West Germanic lak, from Proto-Germanic laką, lakaz (“slackness”), from Proto-Germanic lakaz (“limp, slack, loose, low”), related to lak(k)ōną (“to blame, reproach”), from Proto-Indo-European *lok-néh₂-. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Lak (“lack”), Middle Low German lack, lak (“lack”), Dutch lak (“lack, deficiency, calumny”), Icelandic lakur (“lacking”). Related also to Middle Dutch laken (“to blame, lack”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English carence (“absence, lack”), from Old French carence.

From Middle English lacken, lakken, laken, from Old English læccian, lacian (“to blame, criticise, lack”), from Proto-West Germanic lak(k)ōn (“to blame, be lacking”), from Proto-Germanic lak(k)ōną (“to reproach, blame, be lacking”), from Proto-Indo-European lok-néh₂-. Cognate with Old Frisian lakia, lekia (“to contest, blame”), Middle Low German lacken, laken (“to reproach, blame, criticise”), Middle Dutch laken (“to disapprove, blame, lack”), Dutch laken (“to blame, reproach”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Exam level: CambridgeB1 PreliminaryIELTS4.0–5.0TOEFL iBT44–71TOEIC550–784

Frequency: Very common

Level: B1 · IntermediateOxford

Updated: October 20, 2026

englishreference.com/q/lack

Word

lack

Definitions

01an absence or shortage

02to not have something

Collocations

Etymology

This entry

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