wish

wish  (wsh)

n.

1. A desire, longing, or strong inclination for a specific thing.

2. An expression of a desire, longing, or strong inclination; a petition.

3. Something desired or longed for.

v. wished, wish·ing, wish·es

v.tr.

1. To long for; want. See Synonyms at desire.

2. To entertain or express wishes for; bid: He wished her good night.

3. To call or invoke upon: I wish them luck.

4. To order or entreat: I wish you to go.

5. To impose or force; foist: They wished a hard job on her.

v.intr.

1. To have or feel a desire: wish for the moon.

2. To express a wish.

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[Middle English wissh, from wisshen, to wish, from Old English wscan; see wen-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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wisher n.

Usage Note: Wish is widely used as a polite substitute for want with infinitives: Do you wish to sit at a table on the terrace? Anyone who wishes to may leave now. This usage is appropriate for formal style, where it is natural to treat the desires of others with exaggerated deference. The corresponding use of wish with a noun-phrase object is less frequent: Anyone who wishes an aisle seat should see an attendant. Both usages are likely to sound stilted in informal style, however, and want may be substituted for wish.·A traditional rule requires the use of were rather than was in a contrary-to-fact statement that follows wish: I wish I were (not was) lighter on my feet. While many people continue to insist on upholding this rule, the indicative was in such clauses can be found in the works of many well-known writers. See Usage Notes at if, want.

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wish

Verb

1. to want or desire (something impossible or improbable): he wished he'd kept quiet

2. to desire or prefer to be or do something: the next person who wished to speak

3. to feel or express a hope concerning the welfare, health, or success of: we wished him well

4. to greet as specified: I wished her a Merry Christmas

Noun

1. a desire, often for something impossible or improbable: a desperate wish to succeed as a professional artist

2. something desired or wished for: your wishes will come true

3. the expression of a hope for someone's welfare, health, or success: give him our best wishes [Old English wȳscan]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	wish - a specific feeling of desire; "he got his wish"; "he was above all wishing and desire" wishing, want desire - the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state velleity - a mere wish, unaccompanied by effort to obtain
	2.	wish - an expression of some desire or inclination; "I could tell that it was his wish that the guests leave"; "his crying was an indirect request for attention" indirect request asking, request - the verbal act of requesting
	3.	wish - (usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare; "give him my kind regards"; "my best wishes" compliments, regard plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one greeting, salutation - (usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
	4.	wish - the particular preference that you have; "it was his last wish"; "they should respect the wishes of the people" druthers, preference - the right or chance to choose; "given my druthers, I'd eat cake"
Verb	1.	wish - hope for; have a wish; "I wish I could go home now" desire, want - feel or have a desire for; want strongly; "I want to go home now"; "I want my own room" hope, desire, trust - expect and wish; "I trust you will behave better from now on"; "I hope she understands that she cannot expect a raise"
	2.	wish - prefer or wish to do something; "Do you care to try this dish?"; "Would you like to come along to the movies?" like, care please - be the will of or have the will (to); "he could do many things if he pleased" desire, want - feel or have a desire for; want strongly; "I want to go home now"; "I want my own room"
	3.	wish - make or express a wish; "I wish that Christmas were over" wish - order politely; express a wish for give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize - articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse"
	4.	wish - feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of wish well desire, want - feel or have a desire for; want strongly; "I want to go home now"; "I want my own room" begrudge, resent - wish ill or allow unwillingly
	5.	wish - order politely; express a wish for order - make a request for something; "Order me some flowers"; "order a work stoppage" wish - make or express a wish; "I wish that Christmas were over"
	6.	wish - invoke upon; "wish you a nice evening"; "bid farewell" bid felicitate, congratulate - express congratulations greet, recognise, recognize - express greetings upon meeting someone

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wish

noun 1. desire, liking, want, longing, hope, urge, intention, fancy (informal) ambition, yen (informal) hunger, aspiration, craving, lust, yearning, inclination, itch (informal) thirst, whim, hankering << OPPOSITE aversion

noun 2. request, will, want, order, demand, desire, command, bidding, behest (literary)

verb 3. want, feel, choose, please, desire, think fit

verb 4. require, ask, order, direct, bid, desire, command, instruct

verb 5. bid, greet with >> wish for desire, want, need, hope for, long for, crave, covet, aspire to, yearn for, thirst for, hunger for, hanker for, sigh for, set your heart on, desiderate

Translations

wish [wɪʃ] n (= desire) → deseo

vt → desear (= want); querer;

best wishes (on birthday etc) → felicidades fpl;

with best wishes (in letter) → saludos mpl; recuerdos mpl;

he wished me well → me deseó mucha suerte;

to wish sth on sb → imponer algo a algn;

to wish to do/sb to do sth → querer hacer/que algn haga algo;

to wish for → desear

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wish [wɪʃ] n (= desire) → désir m (= specific desire); souhait m, vœu m

vt → souhaiter, désirer, vouloir;

best wishes (on birthday etc) → meilleurs vœux;

with best wishes (in letter) → bien amicalement;

give her my best wishes → faites-lui mes amitiés;

to wish sb goodbye → dire au revoir à qn;

he wished me well → il m'a souhaité bonne chance;

to wish to do/sb to do → désirer or vouloir faire/que qn fasse;

to wish for → souhaiter;

to wish sth on sb → souhaiter qch à qn

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wish [wɪʃ] n → Wunsch m

vt → wünschen;

best wishes (for birthday etc) → herzliche Grüße, alle guten Wünsche;

with best wishes (in letter) → mit den besten Wünschen or Grüßen;

give her my best wishes → grüßen Sie sie herzlich von mir;

to make a wish → sich dat etw wünschen;

to wish sb goodbye → jdm Auf Wiedersehen sagen;

he wished me well → er wünschte mir alles Gute;

to wish to do sth → etw tun wollen;

to wish sth on sb → jdm etw wünschen;

to wish for sth → sich dat etw wünschen

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wish [wɪʃ] n (= desire) → desiderio (= specific desire); richiesta

vt → desiderare, volere;

best wishes (on birthday etc) → i migliori auguri;

with best wishes (in letter) → cordiali saluti, con i migliori saluti;

give her my best wishes → le faccia i migliori auguri da parte mia;

to wish sb goodbye → dire arrivederci a qn;

he wished me well → mi augurò di riuscire;

to wish to do/sb to do → desiderare or volere fare/che qn faccia;

to wish for → desiderare;

to wish sth on sb → rifilare qc a qn