for lack of

idiom

: not having (the thing specified)

They called it a comet, for lack of a better term/word.

For lack of anything better to do, we went to the park.

Examples of for lack of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The unanimous vote to enter into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the developer, on a motion from Commissioner Danielle Moore, came after a similar motion by Naranjo died for lack of a second. —

Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024 Two or three students are assigned to a single locker for lack of space. —

Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024 Our jaws ached for lack of something tough to chew (some gum might have helped). —

Tom Hinman, Outdoor Life, 8 May 2024 Children in Gaza are already dying for lack of food. —

Bilal Shbair, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024 Moore didn’t get traded for lack of production and is one of the more underrated wide receivers in the NFL, totaling more than 1,000 yards receiving three times in his first five seasons with the Panthers. —

Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2024 That's just late enough to prevent returning hunger pangs from keeping them up at night, yet just early enough to prevent him, his wife, and children from fainting for lack of food. —

Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2024 The series has also been criticized for lack of input from Blanco’s family. —

Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2024 There are numerous reports of preventable deaths for lack of oxygen and ventilators. —

Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'for lack of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.