wish

Formswishes, wishing, wished

Pluralwishes

1. 1
   verbintransitive

   To hope that something will happen or be true, including outcomes that are unlikely or impossible.

   They wish for an early spring every year, knowing February rarely obliges.

   He wished for his old strength back long after the injury ended his career.

   UsageAfter I wish, step back a tense: I wish I knew (not incorrect: I wish I know). Before a noun, use wish for.

   Similarhope, long, yearn, pray

   Note

   John Arbuthnot's as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for (1727) shows the stock phrase of praise. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • John Arbuthnot wrote the quoted words “as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for”. en.wiktionary.org
   • The quotation appeared in 1727, in the first edition of Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures. archive.org
2. 2
   verbintransitive

   To want or desire something, or to want to do something; often used as a more polite or formal alternative to 'want'.

   Passengers who wish to upgrade their seats may speak with the gate agent.

   She wished to speak with the manager about the billing error.

   UsageTakes to plus a verb: wish to speak with the manager. The to can stand alone: leave if you wish to.

   Similarwant, desire

3. 3
   nouncountable

   A desire or hope to have something or for something to happen; also, the thing that is desired.

   Her wish for a quieter life eventually led her to the countryside.

   Their wishes for the company's future rarely matched the board's plans.

   UsageCommon with come true and against: her wish came true, against his wishes.

   Similardesire, hope, longing, yearning, dream

4. 4
   send kind wordsverb

   To direct a kind thought or expression, such as good luck or congratulations, toward someone or something.

   The whole office wished him well on his last day.

   Fans lined the route to wish the runners luck at the starting line.

   UsageTakes a person and what you send: wish someone luck, wish her a happy birthday. Wish someone well is common.

   Note

   What is bestowed need not be kind. The King James Bible of 1611 speaks of those that wish me evil. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, I would not wish them to a fairer death turns the same pattern toward the grave. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikisource.org
   • The King James Bible contains ‘that wish me evil’, in Psalm 40:14. churchofjesuschrist.org
   • ‘I would not wish them to a fairer death’ occurs in Shakespeare’s Macbeth; Siward speaks the line about his sons. folger.edu
5. 5
   magic requestnouncountable

   A spoken or unspoken request for some desired outcome, often imagined as fulfilled through magic or supernatural power.

   Tradition says a wish made on a shooting star must be kept secret.

   Visitors toss coins into the fountain, whispering wishes for luck and love.

   UsageYou make a wish; a genie or fairy grants it, and it may come true.

   Similarprayer

   Note

   Here the wish is voiced or thought on purpose, and the verb it takes is make: you make a wish rather than have one. That deliberate act is what ties it to magic. George Carlin's When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? (2004) catches the split neatly: a character believes in wishes as things people make, yet doubts that they come true. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • George Carlin wrote When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, first published in 2004. hachette.com.au
   • The book's first-publication year is 2004. openlibrary.org
   • A fictional character distinguishes believing in wishes from believing that they come true; the speaker is Chester. en.wiktionary.org

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