wish

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To want something to be true, especially something unlikely.

   I wish I could speak five languages.

2. 2
   noun

   A desire or hope for something.

   It is my wish that the money go to charity.

3. 3
   verb

   To express a hope for someone's happiness or success.

   I wish you a wonderful evening.

4. 4
   verb

   To want or hope for something.

   They wished for good weather on their wedding day.

Common collocations

• best wishes Adjective + noun
• make a wish Verb + noun
• wish someone luck Verb + noun
• grant a wish Verb + noun
• express a wish Verb + noun
• dying wish Adjective + noun
• heartfelt wish Adjective + noun
• fulfil a wish Verb + noun

From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”). Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Luxembourgish wënschen (“to wish”), Yiddish ווינטשן (vintshn, “to wish”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål ønske (“to wish”), Faroese ynskja (“to wish, to desire”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Norwegian Nynorsk ønskja,…

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