wants
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
An inflected form of want · plural.
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,181 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 15,470 times across 155,139 chapters — 0.007% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- a state of extreme poverty also: privation, deprivation, neediness
- the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable also: lack, deficiency there is a serious lack of insight into the problemwater is the critical deficiency in desert regions
- anything that is necessary but lacking also: need he had sufficient means to meet his simple needsI tried to supply his wants
- a specific feeling of desire also: wish, wishing he got his wishhe was above all wishing and desire
wants in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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I was alone in the world: my wants were few.
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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The people one wants at the same time are always nailed to the opposite ends of the earth.
Emily Fox-Seton · Frances Hodgson Burnett · Chapter 1
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When it was evening she said to her bridegroom, ‘That stupid maid wants to sleep by your door.’
The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts · World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) · Chapter 1
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Their wants are provided for while living, and after their death friends are advised by dreams to go and bury them.
The Dream · Émile Zola · Chapter 1
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Dolly wants to please everybody, thinking to get me votes for Congress, and so she has invited all creation and his wife.
Tracy Park: A Novel · Mary Jane Holmes · Chapter 1