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lack

[lak] / læk /




Usage

What are other ways to say lack? The verb lack means to be without or to have less than a desirable quantity of something: to lack courage, sufficient money, enough members to make a quorum. Need often suggests urgency, stressing the necessity of supplying what is lacking: to need an operation, better food, a match to light the fire. Require, which expresses necessity as strongly as need, occurs most frequently in serious or formal contexts: Your presence at the hearing is required. Successful experimentation requires careful attention to detail.

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.

Single 20-somethings need AI to start conversations on dating apps because they lack the confidence of older generations, says the boss of Hinge.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

There aren’t enough people left with the lack of qualifications he’s looking for.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

The UN nuclear agency reaffirmed in a confidential report seen by AFP on Thursday that a lack of access to Iran's nuclear material posed a "proliferation concern" and called on Teheran to act "constructively".

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Most Americans lack the skills or desire to work in healthcare.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

Communication with the ships in the Arctic took months at best, and at first, the lack of word either from or about Franklin and his men did not set off national alarm.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler




Vocabulary lists containing lack


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