Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
wishful
wishful thinking
wishing well
wishy-washy
wisp
wist (1)
wist (2)
wisteria
wistful
wit (1)
wit (2)
witan
Witbank
witch
witch doctor
witch elm
witch grass
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

wish

wish [ wish ]


verb  (past and past participle wished, present participle wish·ing, 3rd person present singular wish·es)
Definition:
 
1. transitive verb have strong desire: to have a strong feeling of wanting something to happen or wanting to have something
I wish she'd say yes.
What do you wish for?

2. transitive verb want something: to want something or want to do something
Stay longer, if you wish.

3. transitive and intransitive verb express desire: to express or feel a desire that something is true or will come to pass
They wished me a safe journey.
We only wish for peace.

4. transitive verb regret something: used for expressing regret about something
I wish I'd never mentioned it.

5. transitive verb greet somebody: to greet somebody in a particular way
She wished me good afternoon as I left.



noun  (plural wish·es)
Definition:
 
1. a desire: a desire to do or have something
I had no wish to offend you.

2. something wished: something that is desired
He finally got his wish.

3. hope: a hope for somebody's welfare or health ( usually plural )
Give him our best wishes.

4. polite request: a polite request ( formal ) ( often plural )
They honored our wishes and changed the date of the meeting.

[ Old English wȳscan< Indo-European, "to desire"]

wish·er noun

Word Key: Synonyms

See want.

Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft