wish
to want; desire; long for (usually followed by an infinitive or a clause): I wish to travel.I wish that it were morning.
to desire (a person or thing) to be (as specified): to wish the problem settled.
to entertain wishes, favorably or otherwise, for: to wish someone well;to wish someone ill.
to bid, as in greeting or leave-taking: to wish someone a good morning.
to request or charge: I wish him to come.
to desire; long; yearn (often followed by for): Mother says I may go if I wish.I wished for a book.
to make a wish: She wished more than she worked.
an act or instance of wishing.
a request or command: I was never forgiven for disregarding my father's wishes.
an expression of a wish, often one of a kindly or courteous nature: to send one's best wishes.
something wished or desired:He got his wish—a new car.
wish on,
to force or impose (usually used in the negative): I wouldn't wish that awful job on my worst enemy.
Also wish upon. to make a wish using some object as a magical talisman: to wish on a star.
Origin of wish
1Other words for wish
Other words from wish
- wisher, noun
- wishless, adjective
- in·ter·wish, verb (used with object), noun
- outwish, verb (used with object)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wish in a sentence
In the pilot episode of Mad Men, a researcher tells Don Draper that consumers have a “death wish” and that this is why they are drawn to cigarettes.
Common-sense policies, more civility, a more environmentally friendly industry — those were on everyone’s wish list.
How the lessons of 2020 may make travel better in the long run | Christopher Elliott | November 11, 2020 | Washington PostHis role consists of taking policy recommendations and wishes and translating them to Big Business and Big Tech, eventually working to come to a deal that pleases all palates.
Meet the three people who will define economic policy for the next four years | Nicole Goodkind | November 7, 2020 | FortuneFor example, in the spirit of gift-giving, people are sending their wish lists to family and friends, hoping that what they ask for will appear under the tree.
4 ways to make your e-commerce experience engaging and bright | Sponsored Content: Cloudinary | October 27, 2020 | Search Engine LandThe state also declined to cancel the annual August motorcycle rally in Sturgis, against the wishes of some locals.
I really wanted Trenchmouth to succeed and at the time wished we were as big as Green Day.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTDavid Prowse, the actor who portrayed Darth Vader, wished to come back but had to turn down the role because of ill health.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones) | Rich Goldstein | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIn his last tweet, he wished his followers a “Merry Christmas.”
Only on Broadway could they write what they wanted and adventurously as they wished.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive | Laurence Maslon | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSelling off the extras, I saw my neighbor marvel at the scent and murmur that he wished he could afford one.
And although we gabbled freely enough, MacRae avoided all mention of the persons of whom I most wished to hear.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairMrs. Jolly Robin had often wished—when she was trying to feed a rapidly-growing family—that she could hunt forp.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyThe moment was an awkward one, and Cynthia wished madly that she had not been prompted to ask that unfortunate question.
The Boarded-Up House | Augusta Huiell SeamanHe wished her mother had not been quite such an appalling person, fat and painted.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonHe had not estimated that if Jean Baptiste sought his wife secretly, it must have been because he wished to avoid him.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
British Dictionary definitions for wish
/ (wɪʃ) /
(when tr, takes a clause as object or an infinitive; when intr, often foll by for) to want or desire (something, often that which cannot be or is not the case): I wish I lived in Italy; to wish for peace
(tr) to feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of: I wish you well
(tr) to desire or prefer to be as specified
(tr) to greet as specified; bid: he wished us good afternoon
(tr) formal to order politely: I wish you to come at three o'clock
the act of wishing; the expression of some desire or mental inclination: to make a wish
something desired or wished for: he got his wish
(usually plural) expressed hopes or desire, esp for someone's welfare, health, etc
(often plural) formal a polite order or request
Origin of wish
1- See also wish on
Derived forms of wish
- wisher, noun
- wishless, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with wish
In addition to the idiom beginning with wish
- wish on
also see:
- if wishes were horses
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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