"for want of" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositions",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "for want of",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "for want of",
      "name": "en-prep"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English prepositions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with collocations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with collocations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Finnish links with redundant wikilinks",
          "parents": [
            "Links with redundant wikilinks",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Eastern Mari translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "for want of a better word",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "a. 1640, For Want of a Nail",
          "text": "For want of a nail the shoe was lost.\nFor want of a shoe the horse was lost.\nFor want of a horse the rider was lost.\nFor want of a rider the battle was lost.\nFor want of a battle the kingdom was lost.\nAnd all for the want of a horseshoe nail."
        },
        {
          "ref": "a. 1689 (date written), John Bunyan, “ Some Gospel Truths Opened”, in Henry Stebbing, editor, The Entire Works of John Bunyan, […], volume I, London: James S[prent] Virtue, […], published 1863, →OCLC, page 75:",
          "text": "When the time of Christ's second coming is at hand, there will be but a very little faith in the world. And the Lord knows that there be many, who are now as high as Lucifer, that at that day, for want of faith, will be thrown down to the sides of the pit; even in the very belly of hell.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 August 10, Dr Mike Esbester, “New understandings from old incidents”, in RAIL, number 963, page 58:",
          "text": "In April 1923, he was working with a gang of five others in Glasgow on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). They were told to walk in the cess. But as it wasn't clear, they walked on the sleepers, each carrying a 70lb lifting screw on his shoulder. McGuinness was struck by a train and killed for want of a safe path.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Because of the absence of."
      ],
      "id": "en-for_want_of-en-prep-iTNcceVM",
      "links": [
        [
          "absence",
          "absence"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "for lack of"
        },
        {
          "word": "for the want of"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "note": "puutteessa (genitive + postposition)",
          "sense": "Translations"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "faute de"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "à défaut de"
        },
        {
          "code": "mhr",
          "lang": "Eastern Mari",
          "roman": "ukešte",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "укеште"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "z braku"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌv"
    }
  ],
  "word": "for want of"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositions",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "for want of",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "for want of",
      "name": "en-prep"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English prepositions",
        "English terms with collocations",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Finnish links with redundant wikilinks",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Rhymes:English/ʌv",
        "Rhymes:English/ʌv/3 syllables",
        "Terms with Eastern Mari translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "for want of a better word",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "a. 1640, For Want of a Nail",
          "text": "For want of a nail the shoe was lost.\nFor want of a shoe the horse was lost.\nFor want of a horse the rider was lost.\nFor want of a rider the battle was lost.\nFor want of a battle the kingdom was lost.\nAnd all for the want of a horseshoe nail."
        },
        {
          "ref": "a. 1689 (date written), John Bunyan, “ Some Gospel Truths Opened”, in Henry Stebbing, editor, The Entire Works of John Bunyan, […], volume I, London: James S[prent] Virtue, […], published 1863, →OCLC, page 75:",
          "text": "When the time of Christ's second coming is at hand, there will be but a very little faith in the world. And the Lord knows that there be many, who are now as high as Lucifer, that at that day, for want of faith, will be thrown down to the sides of the pit; even in the very belly of hell.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 August 10, Dr Mike Esbester, “New understandings from old incidents”, in RAIL, number 963, page 58:",
          "text": "In April 1923, he was working with a gang of five others in Glasgow on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). They were told to walk in the cess. But as it wasn't clear, they walked on the sleepers, each carrying a 70lb lifting screw on his shoulder. McGuinness was struck by a train and killed for want of a safe path.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Because of the absence of."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "absence",
          "absence"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "for lack of"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ʌv"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "for the want of"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "note": "puutteessa (genitive + postposition)",
      "sense": "Translations"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "faute de"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "à défaut de"
    },
    {
      "code": "mhr",
      "lang": "Eastern Mari",
      "roman": "ukešte",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "укеште"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "z braku"
    }
  ],
  "word": "for want of"
}