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want

v.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈwɑnt// UK //wˈɒnt// want Archaic Dialect General-service Informal

v. to feel that you would like to have or do something. You use this when you have a desire for an object or an action.

v. to desire or wish for something; to feel a need or a longing for a specific object, person, or outcome.


SIMPLE

I want a glass of water.

CONTEXTUAL

Most people want to find a job that is both interesting and well-paid.

COMPLEX

While many citizens want immediate tax reform, economists argue that such drastic changes could destabilize the national market in the short term.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English wanten (“to lack, to need”), from Old Norse vanta (“to lack”), from Proto-Germanic wanatōną (“to be wanting, lack”), from wanô (“lack, deficiency”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weh₂- (“empty”). Cognate with Middle High German wan (“not full, empty”), Middle Dutch wan (“empty, poor”), Old English wana (“want, lack, absence, deficiency”), Latin vanus (“empty”). See wan, wan-.

Etymology 2

From Middle English wont (“mole”), from Old English wand, wond, from Proto-Germanic *wanduz.

Usage

The verb is transitive and typically takes a noun phrase or a 'to-infinitive' as its object.

Pitfall

I want that you stayI want you to stayThe verb 'want' cannot be followed by a 'that' clause; it requires an object followed by a 'to-infinitive'.

Idioms5 entries

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