Lack
/læk/
Definitions
2 meaningsThe absence or deficiency of something.
/læk/
The state of being without something that is needed or wanted.
The city suffered from a lack of clean water.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're trying to bake a cake, but you're out of sugar. That's a lack! It means you don't have something you need.
👶 For kids: When you don't have enough of something you need, like when you have a lack of toys to play with.
More Examples
A lack of sleep can affect your concentration.
She showed a serious lack of understanding of the problem.
How It's Used
"There is a lack of food in the disaster area."
"A lack of funding hampered the project's progress."
To be missing or not have something.
/læk/
To be without or deficient in something.
The painting lacked detail.
💡 Simply: If your recipe *lacks* salt, it means you forgot to put it in, or it doesn't have enough salt to make it taste right.
👶 For kids: When you don't have something. For example, 'I lack a new bike'.
More Examples
The presentation lacked clarity.
His argument lacked evidence.
How It's Used
"The team lacked experience."
"The study lacked sufficient data."
Idioms & expressions
lack of
The absence or deficiency of something.
"The company suffered from a lack of investment."
for lack of
because of the absence of something.
"For lack of a better idea, they decided to go home."
From Middle English lakken, from Old English *laccan (found only in compounds) ‘to be wanting,’ from Proto-Germanic *lakiz ‘wanting.’
Used since Old English times, and consistently represents the concept of deficiency or absence.
Memory tip
Think of a missing piece in a puzzle - a lack.
Word Origin
"to be wanting, be deficient"