wished; wishing; wishes
1
: to have a desire for (something, such as something unattainable)
wished he could live his life over
2
: to give expression to as a wish : bid
wish them good night
3
a
: to give form to (a wish)
b
: to express a wish for
c
: to request in the form of a wish : order
d
: to desire (a person or thing) to be as specified
cannot wish our problems away
4
: to confer (something unwanted) on someone : foist
1
: to have a desire : want
wishing for more
2
: to make a wish
wish on a falling star
wisher
noun
Examples of wish in a Sentence
Verb
You may use the telephone, if you wish.
She wished them a happy New Year.
We wish you a Merry Christmas.
Noun
He has a wish to be reunited with his son.
The genie will grant you three wishes.
Send her my good wishes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Torts can be territorial, so households wishing to adopt more than one should be prepared to create multiple enclosures to separate them.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
What better way to wish him well, and to register our scorn at the treacherous flow of time, than to behold him in his pomp?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
Anyone who has ever pored over a map at the beginning of a fantasy book or wished Wookieepedia included more about the food chain will find ample pleasures here.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Anyone who wishes to interfere in elections today has a suite of AI technology to choose from to bolster their efforts, and multiple ways to deploy it.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Legacy members include environmentalists, a software engineering mogul and activists who are, according to two sources, connected to Redford (or wish to huddle round his cool flame).
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Michigan will lift its ban on compensated surrogacy agreements, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bills Monday expanding options for those in Michigan who wish to have children but cannot do so through traditional means.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 1 Apr. 2024
But a regular haunt in which to wish for a million dollars isn’t just the stuff of TV sitcoms.
—Patrick T. Brown, National Review, 31 Mar. 2024
Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
And so, her wish became reality when the exhibition Manish Arora: Life Is Beautiful opened at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta this week.
—Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
According to a casting call shared by CAPE, Curtis will be getting her wish about grandchildren.
—Glamour, 30 Mar. 2024
The revelation quelled months of wild conjecture relating to the senior royal and drew well wishes from around the globe, as well as countless regrets from those who had misread the situation.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Finally, my wish for this year is that Rolex, following the discontinuation of the current version, releases a new Milgauss inspired by the original reference 6541!
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024
Doherty's Friday post comes amid an outpouring of support for the Princess of Wales, as senior royals, members of her family and high-profile figures shared their well wishes.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Ribbons hang from a security fence filled with prayers and wishes for family members trapped to the north.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Ringo would glare disapprovingly, but this was one circumstance in which his wishes did not prevail.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Feature Photography Finalist: Gina Ferazzi for a series of photos of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein lying in state at San Francisco’s City Hall as mourners wished her goodbye.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Torts can be territorial, so households wishing to adopt more than one should be prepared to create multiple enclosures to separate them.
—Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
What better way to wish him well, and to register our scorn at the treacherous flow of time, than to behold him in his pomp?
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
Anyone who has ever pored over a map at the beginning of a fantasy book or wished Wookieepedia included more about the food chain will find ample pleasures here.
—Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Anyone who wishes to interfere in elections today has a suite of AI technology to choose from to bolster their efforts, and multiple ways to deploy it.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Legacy members include environmentalists, a software engineering mogul and activists who are, according to two sources, connected to Redford (or wish to huddle round his cool flame).
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Michigan will lift its ban on compensated surrogacy agreements, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bills Monday expanding options for those in Michigan who wish to have children but cannot do so through traditional means.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 1 Apr. 2024
But a regular haunt in which to wish for a million dollars isn’t just the stuff of TV sitcoms.
—Patrick T. Brown, National Review, 31 Mar. 2024
Noun
Several of Grijalva's colleagues in D.C. and in his district expressed well wishes for the congressman.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024
And so, her wish became reality when the exhibition Manish Arora: Life Is Beautiful opened at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta this week.
—Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
According to a casting call shared by CAPE, Curtis will be getting her wish about grandchildren.
—Glamour, 30 Mar. 2024
The revelation quelled months of wild conjecture relating to the senior royal and drew well wishes from around the globe, as well as countless regrets from those who had misread the situation.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Finally, my wish for this year is that Rolex, following the discontinuation of the current version, releases a new Milgauss inspired by the original reference 6541!
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024
Doherty's Friday post comes amid an outpouring of support for the Princess of Wales, as senior royals, members of her family and high-profile figures shared their well wishes.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Ribbons hang from a security fence filled with prayers and wishes for family members trapped to the north.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Ringo would glare disapprovingly, but this was one circumstance in which his wishes did not prevail.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English wisshen, from Old English wȳscan; akin to Old High German wunsken to wish, Sanskrit vāñchati he wishes, vanoti he strives for — more at win
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of wish was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing wish
Dictionary Entries Near wish
Cite this Entry
“Wish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
wish
2 of 2 noun1
a
: an act or instance of wishing or desire
a wish to travel
b
: an object of desire : goal
I got my wish—a good score on the test
2
: a wishing of good fortune
sends her best wishes
More from Merriam-Webster on wish
Nglish: Translation of wish for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of wish for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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