I. ˈwi]sh, dial ˈwu̇] or ]sht\ verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English wisshen, from Old English wȳscan; akin to Old High German wunsken to wish, Old Norse œskja, Sanskrit vāñchati he wishes, vanati, vanoti he loves, desires — more at win
transitive verb
1.
a. : to have a desire for : want , crave
the best friend a man could wish
they want to be led, and they wish to remain free — Alexis de Tocqueville
b. : to yearn for (something unattainable)
I wish I were young again
about this time of year I begin to wish that some one would invent a bathing suit that could be worn to work — Nation's Business
c. archaic : to hope against hope
I wish I suffer no prejudice by it — Philip Henry
2.
a. : to invoke upon
wish the team success
— often used in formulas of greeting
wish him good night
b. : to harbor a specified feeling for
very sincerely wish him happy — Jane Austen
embarrassed by her parents' solicitude and wished them miles away
c. dialect : to invoke evil on by witchcraft : conjure
when he hears that he has been wished, he … takes to his bed at once — E.B.Tylor
3.
a. : to give form to (a wish)
wish a wish
b. : to express a wish for
the Persians did not wish a strong ruler — William Clark
students who wish help in planning their courses
c. : to request in the form of a wish : order
my mother wishes you to get the car ready
when a visitor … wishes a license to operate a rented car — Bert Pierce
do you wish cream or lemon in your tea
4.
a. : to have the intention of : propose
the point I wish to make
if men really wish to be good, they will become good — J.B.Mozley
b. : to look forward to : anticipate
at length the day so long wished and expected came — Clara Reeve
c. archaic : to speak favorably of : recommend
I was wished to your worship, by a gentleman — Ben Jonson
an acquaintance … had wished her to that place — Sir Walter Scott
d. : to confer (something unwanted) upon someone : foist
at the annual meeting the job of secretary was wished on me — F.S.Blanchard
a friend wished a small blue mule on me — E.A.Mills
intransitive verb
1. : to have a desire : want , long
wish for a puppy
wish for the courage to stand up to a bully
as enthralling a pastime as anybody … could wish for — New Yorker
2. : to make a wish
wish on a falling star
Synonyms: see desire
II. noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English wisshe, from wisshen to wish
1.
a. : an act or instance of wishing : unfulfilled desire : longing , want
if wishes were horses, beggars would ride
religion is built not of wishes but of will — W.L.Sullivan
b. : an object of desire : goal
our only wish was to reach some inhabited place and get something to eat — Heinrich Harrer
2.
a. : an expressed desire : indirect mandate : will
discharge their functions … in full accord with the popular wish — London Calling
b. : a request couched in terms of wishing
cross your fingers and make a wish
out of deference to his parents' wishes — E.S.Bates
3.
a. : an expression of good will
take from my mouth, the wish of happy years — Shakespeare
when you see him, give him my best wishes
b. archaic : an invocation of evil : malediction
this was my wish : be thou (quoth I) accurst — Shakespeare