want

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   wish or demand the presence of

   I want you here at noon!

2. 2
   verb

   have need of

   This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner

3. 3
   verb

   hunt or look for

   want for a particular reason

4. 4
   verb

   feel or have a desire for

   want strongly

5. 5
   verb

   To wish for or desire (something); to feel a need or desire for; to crave, hanker, or demand.

   I want you as a friend, not a foe.

6. 6
   verb

   To wish, desire, or demand to see, have the presence of or do business with.

   Ma’am, you are exactly the professional we want for this job.

7. 7
   verb

   To desire (to experience desire); to wish.

   You can leave if you want.

8. 8
   verb

   To be advised to do something (compare should, ought).

   You’ll want to repeat this three or four times to get the best result.

Etymology

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-.