lack: Meaning and Definition of

lack

Pronunciation: (lak), [key]
— n.
  1. deficiency or absence of something needed, desirable, or customary: lack of money; lack of skill.
  2. something missing or needed: After he left, they really felt the lack.
—v.t.
  1. to be without or deficient in: to lack ability; to lack the necessities of life.
  2. to fall short in respect of: He lacks three votes to win.
—v.i.
  1. to be absent or missing, as something needed or desirable: Three votes are lacking to make a majority.
  2. to be short of or deficient in: What he lacks in brains, he makes up for in brawn.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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