verb / noun
want
WAHNT/wɑːnt/
A wish to have or do something.
The child wants the bicycle displayed in the shop window.
Etymology
The original sense was to lack something, rather than to desire it. The meaning shifted from being without something to feeling a need for it, and hence wishing to have it.
In context
they get the reward now they know that sticking their nose into the can is something i want them to do without actually having to force them into the can
More examples
- I want to go home.
- They wanted a larger garden.
- The survey records customers' wants.
Forms
want · wants · wanted · wanting
unwanted adjective — not desired or welcome
Similar words
- desire
- More formal and sometimes stronger in emotional intensity.