not for want of
idiom
: not because of not having or doing (something)
Her failure to get the information was not for want of trying.
Examples of not for want of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The American Dream, the Great American Novel, the American Girl—for Fitzgerald, they were all wrapped up together—had eluded him, and not for want of trying.
—
Nathan King, Air Mail, 5 Apr. 2025
That’s not for want of headline fodder: Thirty-one people have died in Erie County jails since his appointment, most as a result of suicide or medical neglect.
—Raina Lipsitz, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2021
But mathematicians couldn’t come up with counterexamples, and not for want of trying.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Apr. 2021
But that’s not for want of trying.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2023
That is not for want of effort by Britain’s conservative tabloids.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2023
There are no treatments that address the genetic cause of the disease, but not for want of trying.
—Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Dec. 2022
Climate leadership is failing, though not for want of ideas.
—Sarah Sloat, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2022
But that’s not for want of natural and historical wonders.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2022
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Nathan King, Air Mail, 5 Apr. 2025
That’s not for want of headline fodder: Thirty-one people have died in Erie County jails since his appointment, most as a result of suicide or medical neglect.
—Raina Lipsitz, The New Republic, 19 Oct. 2021
But mathematicians couldn’t come up with counterexamples, and not for want of trying.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Apr. 2021
But that’s not for want of trying.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2023
That is not for want of effort by Britain’s conservative tabloids.
—Stephen Castle, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2023
There are no treatments that address the genetic cause of the disease, but not for want of trying.
—Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Dec. 2022
Climate leadership is failing, though not for want of ideas.
—Sarah Sloat, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2022
But that’s not for want of natural and historical wonders.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2022
Cite this Entry
“Not for want of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20for%20want%20of. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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