wish

[ wish ]

/ wɪʃ /

See synonyms for: wish / wishes / wishing on Thesaurus.com

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.

SYNONYMS FOR wish

1 crave.

5 direct, order.

12 will, want.

See synonyms for wish on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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.

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

wisher, nounwishless, adjectivein·ter·wish, verb (used with object), nounoutwish, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for wish

Schreurs tells children to either make a wish for themselves or somebody in need after he hands out his coins, then asks them to tuck the coins away for safekeeping.
Maryland’s marathon-running Santa Claus with a cause is doing Zoom and outdoor visits this year|Cathy Free|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
Our thoughts and well wishes are with the official involved.
After one player’s assault of a referee, a Texas high school team wonders why it was sidelined|Glynn A. Hill|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
Through the agency’s website, people and organizations can “adopt” children’s letters and then send responses and gifts to fulfill holiday wishes and assist Santa’s efforts.
‘End of Covid 19. New X Box’: Children plead for pandemic relief and gifts in letters to Santa|Hamza Shaban|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
YouTube had a few more on my wish list for that Open House weekend.
My trip to London was canceled, so I took it on YouTube instead|Nancy Nathan|December 10, 2020|Washington Post

It may take time for Harden to get his wish, but movement defines the league now.
James Harden has confused player empowerment with self-sabotage|Jerry Brewer|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
True, but not to the wisher, nor does the idea of it enter his mind.
Imaginary Conversations and Poems|Walter Savage Landor
And she said the spell that undid the secret of the Pot to the wisher.
The Field of Clover|Laurence Housman
Zura with stern, forbidding brows, but laughing eyes, rebuked the wisher.
The House of the Misty Star|Fannie Caldwell Macaulay
Each wish was followed by a little laugh, as if the wisher was ashamed of showing even so minute an emotion.
Tomaso's Fortune and Other Stories|Henry Seton Merriman
Her wisher was so undeveloped that she could only wish for things available to people of moderate affluence.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

wish

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

SYNONYMS FOR wish

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Origin of wish

synonym study for wish

OTHER WORDS FROM 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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

wish

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

SYNONYMS FOR wish

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Origin of wish

synonym study for wish

OTHER WORDS FROM 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