Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - want

(wants, wanting, wanted) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you want something, you feel a desire or a need for it. I want a drink... Ian knows exactly what he wants in life... People wanted to know who this talented designer was... They began to want their father to be the same as other daddies... They didn’t want people staring at them as they sat on the lawn, so they put up high walls... He wanted his power recognised... I want my car this colour... And remember, we want him alive. VERB: no cont, no passive, V n, V n, V to-inf, V n to-inf, V n -ing, V n -ed, V n n, V n adj/prep 2. You can say that you want to say something to indicate that you are about to say it. Look, I wanted to apologize for today. I think I was a little hard on you. VERB: no cont, no passive, V to-inf 3. You use want in questions as a way of making an offer or inviting someone to do something. Do you want another cup of coffee?... Do you want to leave your bike here? VERB: no cont, no passive, V n, V to-inf 4. If you say to someone that you want something, or ask them if they want to do it, you are firmly telling them what you want or what you want them to do. I want an explanation from you, Jeremy... If you have a problem with that, I want you to tell me right now... Do you want to tell me what all this is about?... I want my money back! VERB: no cont, no passive, V n, V n to-inf, V to-inf, V n adv/prep 5. If you say that something wants doing, you think that it needs to be done. (mainly BRIT INFORMAL) Her hair wants cutting. = need VERB: no cont, no passive, V -ing 6. If you tell someone that they want to do a particular thing, you are advising them to do it. (INFORMAL) You want to be very careful not to have a man like Crevecoeur for an enemy... = ought VERB: no cont, no passive, V to-inf 7. If someone is wanted by the police, the police are searching for them because they are thought to have committed a crime. He was wanted for the murder of a magistrate. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed for n • wanted He is one of the most wanted criminals in Europe. ADJ: ADJ n 8. If you want someone, you have a great desire to have sex with them. Come on, darling. I want you. VERB: V n 9. If a child is wanted, its mother or another person loves it and is willing to look after it. Children should be wanted and planned... I want this baby very much, because it certainly will be the last. VERB: be V-ed, V n 10. A want of something is a lack of it. (FORMAL) ...a want of manners and charm... = lack N-SING: also no det, N of n 11. Your wants are the things that you want. Supermarkets often claim that they are responding to the wants of consumers by providing packaged foods. N-PLURAL: usu with poss 12. If you do something for want of something else, you do it because the other thing is not available or not possible. Many of them had gone into teaching for want of anything better to do... PHRASE: PHR n, PHR with v