wish 1 of 2

1
as in to impose
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable despite my protestations, the dreaded position of club secretary was wished on me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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wish

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb wish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of wish are covet, crave, desire, and want. While all these words mean "to have a longing for," wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable.

wishes for permanent world peace

When can covet be used instead of wish?

The meanings of covet and wish largely overlap; however, covet implies strong envious desire.

covets his rise to fame

In what contexts can crave take the place of wish?

While the synonyms crave and wish are close in meaning, crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need.

craves sweets

When would desire be a good substitute for wish?

Although the words desire and wish have much in common, desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim.

desires to start a new life

Where would want be a reasonable alternative to wish?

The words want and wish can be used in similar contexts, but want specifically suggests a felt need or lack.

wants to have a family

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wish
Verb
The Buccaneers will get their wish in two weeks. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025 Vendors set up along the Thu Bồn River selling paper lanterns with small candles inside, and both locals and travelers place them on the water with a wish for good fortune, health, or happiness. Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
One coworker, dressed as Prince, wished to meet Mariah Carey, but only got a cardboard cutout. Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025 Please join me in wishing them the very best. Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wish
Verb
  • Judge Steven Denny imposed the 60-year sentence that same day.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
  • He was forced to accept it, because it was imposed on him.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There’s always someone around the corner who’s eager to please you, but being so recognizable can become incredibly isolating as well.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Ahead of her concerts in New York City, Sabrina Carpenter is encouraging subway riders to please, please, please practice good etiquette on the trains.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Kirill Kaprizov, who showed his frustration after Anthony Mantha’s empty-net goal by shooting the puck against the boards and then removing his number from the board that listed media requests following the game, scored the lone goal for Minnesota.
    Michael Russo, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • In 2022, Fox Weather had reported that United Airlines would abandon its request for passengers to open window shades upon landing after quietly beginning to encourage it in 2020.
    Staff Author, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) Moody and intricate (sometimes maddeningly so), this debut from Oz Perkins (son of Psycho star Anthony) inflicts supernatural horror and grief upon the students of a Catholic boarding school.
    Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
  • That no one should be able to inflict such damage upon the country.
    Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • All this after Fern just wanted to renovate her boring bookseller life by starting over next to her orc pal Viv’s coffee shop!
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Airwallex’s focus, instead, is on companies that want a global presence and need to be able to issue employee cards, open bank accounts, and pay merchants across dozens of jurisdictions.
    Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • But Mamdani also shares Obama’s desire to reach out to adversaries and be a unifying force in politics.
    Ben Adler, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
  • But all of these tropes, from the beard to the villain, are predicated on the idea that sexuality and desire are always legible on the body.
    Kelly Foster Lundquist, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The arrangement empowers the co-investors to pick and choose their own individual deals, the great lure of directs in general.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Smith chose to write about her discovery not to reveal some great secret or proclaim a new identity.
    Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Of course, a stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge is a must, as is a day trip to Muir Woods National Monument to stand beneath towering, centuries-old redwoods.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
  • After shifting power to the people—like a year-plus bus boycott can do, for example—and getting the government to lessen its corruption, cruelty, injustice or violence, defending those gains is a must.
    Michael Shank, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wish. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

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