wish

[ wish ]

/ wɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

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.

QUIZZES

How Hip Is Your Lingo? Take Our Slang Quiz!

If you aren’t already skilled in slang, then this quiz can get you up to speed in no time!

Question 1 of 11

OK Boomer can be perceived as pejorative, but it is mostly considered to be _____

a slang word for astronauts that originated in the 1950s.

a comment toward the Baby Boomer generation that is humorous or ironic in usage.

an obsolete slang term about people who speak loudly.

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Origin of wish

before 900; (v.) Middle English wisshen, Old English wȳscan; cognate with German wünschen, Old Norse æskja; akin to Old English wynn joy (see winsome), Latin venus charm (see Venus); (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR wish

1 crave.

5 direct, order.

12 will, want.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wish ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for wish

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM wish

wish·er, nounwish·less, adjectivein·ter·wish, verb (used with object), nounout·wish, verb (used with object)

Words nearby wish

wiseass, wisecrack, wiseman, wisenheimer, wisent, wish, wish fulfillment, wish fulfilment, wish list, wish on, wish-wash

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for wish

And yes, our values include tolerance of those who wish to make fun of religion.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I wish I was a young Carole King, working in the Brill Building.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At this point Marvin gives his Liberty Valance smile, the kind that makes you wish you could disintegrate in front of him.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Still, I wish that DuVernay had given us more about those who are less famous besides a scene where they all eat dinner together.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

For all that we may wish it to be, “dating” simply is not the dominant romantic culture here.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And I could not speak a consoling word to her; Klaus did not wish it.
A Sister's Love|W. Heimburg
I wish our job was finished and we were going the other way.
Wyndham's Pal|Harold Bindloss
Why was he not strong in health and body like the people about him, and yet for whom did he wish to labor?
Jack|Alphonse Daudet
He had obtained his passport, and had come to wish me good-bye.
Valerie|Frederick Marryat
He had many questions to ask about them, in the course of which he expressed a wish that he might visit them.
Oscar|Walter Aimwell

British Dictionary definitions for wish

wish

/ (wɪʃ) /

verb

(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) formal to 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

(often plural) formal a polite order or request

Derived forms of wish

wisher, nounwishless, adjective

Word Origin for wish

Old English wӯscan; related to Old Norse öskja, German wünschen, Dutch wenschen

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

Idioms and Phrases with wish

wish

In addition to the idiom beginning with wish

wish on

also see:

if wishes were horses

wish

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

QUIZZES

Origin of wish

SYNONYMS FOR wish

synonym study for wish

OTHER WORDS FROM wish

Words nearby wish

Words related to wish

Example sentences from the Web for wish

British Dictionary definitions for wish

verb

noun

Derived forms of wish

Word Origin for wish

Idioms and Phrases with wish