How to Use want in a Sentence

want

1 of 2 verb
  • The motor wants a tune-up.
  • Tell him that the teacher wants him.
  • Do you want anything from the store?
  • I just wanted a chance to rest.
  • She wanted more time to finish the test.
  • Do you want more coffee?
  • You can choose whichever color you want.
  • Thousands of poor people still want food and shelter.
  • He wants a bicycle for his birthday.
  • What do you want for Christmas?
  • Who doesn’t want to live longer?
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Martha didn’t want to be a prude.
    — Cassandra Neyenesch, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • What draws you to want to play a course?
    — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
  • Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant.
    — Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Who among us doesn’t want a gourmet kitchen?
    — Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2025
  • At the end of the day, just want to win.
    — Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
  • How do the rest of you want to be seen?
    — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
  • So who does or doesn’t want what, and why?
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Now men want to take me out and show me off.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
  • Folks in charge want to know what Nix thinks.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
  • No one wants to make a mistake.
    — Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
  • No one wants to pay $70 for a short game.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
  • With a dress this fun, who wouldn't want to serve up some looks?
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 23 May 2021
  • Didn’t want to do that to anyone.
    — Souvankham Thammavongsa, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
  • But so many of the men want children now.
    — Souvankham Thammavongsa, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Did anyone want to come up and take part?
    — Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
  • People come up to her and want to touch her.
    — Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
  • People didn’t even want to say it out loud.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Those who do not want the drug do not have to get it, of course.
    — William G. Woods, STAT, 17 Aug. 2022
  • What type of elite edge rusher do teams want?
    — Ben Kamisar, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026

want

2 of 2 noun
  • His attitude shows a want of proper respect.
  • He is suffering from want of adequate sleep.
  • Our work has to match the want.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Let the clock spring forward all its wants.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 6 Mar. 2026
  • There is a genuine want to be around each other.
    — James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 3 June 2026
  • But what do the dads who cook and feed people for a living want?
    — ABC News, 17 June 2026
  • That last smoke proved elusive, but not for want of trying.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 8 June 2026
  • These are more than reasonable wants.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
  • His want-to and love for football were the most intriguing things to me.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • And for want of that protein, the organism–you–may start to fall apart.
    — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
  • But that conversation can’t be about your wants.
    — Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026
  • Looking back, his own biggest want had once been for a world globe, and she had been thrilled to give him one.
    — CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
  • The want to feel wanted is universal.
    — Maya Walsh-Little, SELF, 15 Dec. 2025
  • The success of the first year’s program proved there is both a tremendous want and a need for this event.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
  • This recipe has been on my want-to-make list for a while now—I’m toffee’s biggest fan.
    — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Themes of beauty and harmony are top of mind, and your home is mirroring your wants and needs.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Brewer is aware that Achane and Brooks want/need extensions, too.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
  • Just grit and determination and want-to.
    — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The business needs of big Amazon will always come before the wants and needs of the studio.
    — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2026
  • This demon, for want of a better word, seems to relish tormenting people.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Cosell, for want of a better word, could be icky, especially around young actresses.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Feb. 2026
  • For want of pennies, some retailers are getting creative.
    — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Would say Bills have the want/need edge here, except Chiefs don’t lead their division, either.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Would say Bills have the want/need edge here, except Chiefs don’t lead their division, either.
    — Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players.
    — Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Instead of a set schedule and activities with no wiggle room, retreats will start to cater to your wants and needs.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Sometimes one’s own true wants are infernally difficult to bear.
    — Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
  • But none of Minnesota’s injuries diminished their want-to.
    — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
  • That means 50% of a budget is spent on needs, 30% on wants and 20% on savings or debt payments.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Add in writer Steven Knight’s penchant for characters who, for the want of a better phrase, kick ass and take names.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'want.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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