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.
verb (used without object)
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.
noun
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.
Verb Phrases
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
before 900; (v.) Middle Englishwisshen,Old Englishwȳscan; cognate with Germanwünschen,Old Norseæskja; akin to Old Englishwynn joy (see winsome), Latinvenus charm (see Venus); (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.
Related formswish·er, nounwish·less, adjectivein·ter·wish, verb (used with object), nounout·wish, verb (used with object)
1. Wish,desire,want indicate a longing for something. To wish is to feel an impulse toward attainment or possession of something; the strength of the feeling may be of greater or lesser intensity: I wish I could go home.Desire, a more formal word, suggests a strong wish: They desire a new regime.Want, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment: People all over the world want peace.
(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 ofI wish you well
(tr)to desire or prefer to be as specified
(tr)to greet as specified; bidhe wished us good afternoon
(tr)formalto order politelyI wish you to come at three o'clock
noun
the act of wishing; the expression of some desire or mental inclinationto make a wish
something desired or wished forhe got his wish
(usually plural)expressed hopes or desire, esp for someone's welfare, health, etc
Old English wyscan "to wish," from Proto-Germanic *wunskijanan (cf. Old Norse æskja, Danish ønske, Swedish önska, Middle Dutch wonscen, Dutch wensen, Old High German wunsken, German wunschen "to wish"), from PIE *wun-/*wen-/*won- "to strive after, wish, desire, be satisfied" (cf. Sanskrit vanati "he desires, loves, wins," Latin venus "love, sexual desire, loveliness," venerari "to worship;" see Venus). The noun is attested from c.1300. Wish fulfillment (1901) translates German wunscherfüllung (Freud, "Die Traumdeutung," 1900).
