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# lack

«lack» in Mova's school dictionary: **not to have something, or not to have enough of it** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (lack, lacks, lacked, lacking); noun (lack)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To lack means not to have something, or not to have enough of it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#m1)

2) A lack is not having enough: a lack of sleep, a lack of water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In maths: a shortage: how many more are needed to reach a whole set or an amount: needed = goal − have; «lacks 3» means 3 more are needed. In science: plants die from a lack of water or light. In health: a lack of sleep makes you tired. Phrases: lack of, for lack of, lack nothing.

### examples

- He lacks $3 to buy the book. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x1)
- The team lacks 2 players. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x2)
- The class lacks 5 chairs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x3)
- How much does she lack to have 50? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x4)
- The plants died from a lack of water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x5)
- A lack of sleep makes it hard to think. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x6)
- The town lacks a swimming pool. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x7)
- The game was stopped for lack of light. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x8)
- There was no lack of society at our home. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/#x9)

### note

Verb without «of»: «he lacks money», noun with «of»: «a lack of money». Needed = goal − have; «lacks 3» means 3 more are needed. Trap: it is not the amount left over.

### In the corpora

- [When an old person gets confused or calls you the wrong name, it is the illness, not a lack of love.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/23-when-grandma-and-grandad-need-more-help/5/)
- [Dogs have a special eyebrow muscle, which wolves mostly lack, that lifts the inner eyebrow to make puppy eyes.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/292-dogs-from-wolves-to-best-friends-living-with-dogs-today/12/)
- [Vitamin C helps wounds heal and keeps gums and skin healthy, and sailors once got scurvy from lacking it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/21-what-vitamins-do/7/)
- [Long ago sailors without fresh fruit got sick with scurvy because they lacked vitamin C.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/36-healthy-food/19/)
- [And truth is lacking, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ISA.1288/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «lack» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lack/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.