wish

[ wish ]

/ wɪʃ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: wish / wished / 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR wish

1 crave.

5 direct, order.

9 desire, will, want.

See synonyms for wish on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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.

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. 2022

How to use wish in a sentence

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
At least that's what one well-wisher who met Kate Middleton as she went walkabout today thinks.
Kate Middleton's Royal Baby: Is It a Girl?|Tom Sykes|March 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She told one well-wisher who asked that her baby had been kicking "very much".
Where's The Bump? Kate Middleton in Grimsby|Tom Sykes|March 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
No well-wisher of India, no patriot dare look upon the impending destruction of the hand-loom weaver with equanimity.
Third class in Indian railways|Mahatma Gandhi
"I come to you from a well-wisher," he went on in oily tones, without lifting his eyes.
The Empty House And Other Ghost Stories|Algernon Blackwood
For is he not a well-wisher of the French Revolution, a Jacobin, and therefore in that one act guilty of all?
Life of Robert Burns|Thomas Carlyle
I am a well wisher to the Company, and also to America; but death to an American is more desirable than slavery.
Tea Leaves|Various
He was conscious of a willingness to consider it himself, as a friend of the family and a well-wisher of Chubbins.
Bunker Bean|Harry Leon Wilson

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with wish

wish

In addition to the idiom beginning with wish

wish on

also see:

if wishes were horses

wish

OTHER WORDS FOR wish

Origin of wish

OTHER WORDS FROM wish

Words related to wish

How to use wish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wish

Derived forms of wish

Word Origin for wish

Other Idioms and Phrases with wish