only wish/want/hope
idiom
—used to stress that someone's wishing/wanting/hoping something is the simple truth
He only wished she'd told him sooner.
I only wish I knew what was going on.
He only wanted to help.
I only hope she can get over this.
Examples of only wish/want/hope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Computer scientists, ordinary Americans, and the intelligence and defense communities can only hope our officials rethink their proposal.
—
Jungsang Kim, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The men could only hope to emulate the drama of the perfect women’s matchup.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Human beings crash through nature, break it apart and leave it in ruins, just to make supper by 6 p.m.
Your only hope of keeping the agony of this realization at bay is to endeavor to be gentler and better in the tiny scope of things under your control.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The Wildcats can only hope that history repeats itself, that the fourth time proves to be the charm, once again.
—Glenn Reeves, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
The only hope is to have a home with a few animals in some place not worth a bomb.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
That left an automatic bid as their only hope: To earn a March Madness berth, N.C.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The show focused on James St. Patrick (played by Omari Hardwick), a drug dealer nicknamed Ghost whose only wish was to leave the world of crime behind and become a legitimate businessman.
—Damien Scott, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
But now the Memphis transfer can only hope to make the most of it.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Jungsang Kim, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The men could only hope to emulate the drama of the perfect women’s matchup.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Human beings crash through nature, break it apart and leave it in ruins, just to make supper by 6 p.m.
Your only hope of keeping the agony of this realization at bay is to endeavor to be gentler and better in the tiny scope of things under your control.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The Wildcats can only hope that history repeats itself, that the fourth time proves to be the charm, once again.
—Glenn Reeves, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
The only hope is to have a home with a few animals in some place not worth a bomb.
—Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024
That left an automatic bid as their only hope: To earn a March Madness berth, N.C.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The show focused on James St. Patrick (played by Omari Hardwick), a drug dealer nicknamed Ghost whose only wish was to leave the world of crime behind and become a legitimate businessman.
—Damien Scott, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024
But now the Memphis transfer can only hope to make the most of it.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'only wish/want/hope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near only wish/want/hope
Cite this Entry
“Only wish/want/hope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only%20wish%2Fwant%2Fhope. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share