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Webster 1913 Edition

Wish

Wish

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Wished
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Wishing
.]
[OE.
wischen
,
weschen
,
wuschen
, AS.
w[GREEK]scan
; akin to D.
wenschen
, G.
wünschen
, Icel.
æeskja
, Dan.
önske
, Sw.
önska
; from AS.
w[GREEK]sc
a wish; akin to OD. & G.
wunsch
, OHG.
wunsc
, Icel.
[GREEK]sk
, Skr.
vā[GREEK]chā
a wish,
vā[GREEK]ch
to wish; also to Skr.
van
to like, to wish. [GREEK]. See
Winsome
,
Win
,
Verb.
T.
, and cf.
Wistful
.]
1.
To have a desire or yearning; to long; to hanker.
They cast four anchors out of the stern, and
wished
for the day.
Acts xxvii. 29.
This is as good an argument as an antiquary could
wish
for.
Arbuthnot.

Wish

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To desire; to long for; to hanker after; to have a mind or disposition toward.
I would not
wish

Any companion in the world but you.
Shakespeare
I
wish
above all things that thou mayest prosper.
3. John 2.
2.
To frame or express desires concerning; to invoke in favor of, or against, any one; to attribute, or cal down, in desire; to invoke; to imprecate.
I would not
wish
them to a fairer death.
Shakespeare
I
wish
it may not prove some ominous foretoken of misfortune to have met with such a miser as I am.
Sir P. Sidney.
Let them be driven backward, and put to shame, that
wish
me evil.
Ps. xl. 14.
3.
To recommend; to seek confidence or favor in behalf of.
[Obs.]
Shak.
I would be glad to thrive, sir,
And I was
wished
to your worship by a gentleman.
B. Jonson.
Syn. – See
Desire
.

Wish

,
Noun.
1.
Desire; eager desire; longing.
Behold, I am according to thy
wish
in God a stead.
Job xxxiii. 6.
2.
Expression of desire; request; petition; hence, invocation or imprecation.
Blistered be thy tongue for such a
wish
.
Shakespeare
3.
A thing desired; an object of desire.
Will he, wise, let loose at once his ire . . .
To give his enemies their
wish
!
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Wish

WISH

,
Verb.
I.
[G.]
1.
To have a desire, or strong desire, either for what is or is not supposed to be obtainable. It usually expresses less than long; but sometimes it denotes to long or wise earnestly. We often wise for what is not obtainable.
This is as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for.
They have more than heart could wish. Psalm 73.
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper. 3 John 2.
They cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. Acts 27.
2.
To be disposed or inclined; as, to wish well to anothers affairs.
3.
It sometimes partakes of hope or fear. I wish the event may prove fortunate, or less calamitous than we apprehend.

WISH

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To desire. I wish your prosperity.
Let them be driven backward and put to shame, that wish me evil. Psalm 40.
2.
To long for; to desire eagerly or ardently. It has this sense when expressed with emphasis.
3.
To recommend by wishing.
I would not wish them to a fairer death.
4.
To imprecate; as, to wish curses on an enemy.
5.
To ask; to express desire.

WISH

,
Noun.
1.
Desire; sometimes, eager desire. Job 33.
2.
Desire expressed.
Blisterd be thy tongue for such a wish.
3.
Thing desired. He has his wish.
The difference between wish and desire seems to be, that desire is directed to what is obtainable, and a wish may be directed to what is obtainable or not.

Definition 2024

wish

wish

English

Noun

wish ‎(plural wishes)

  1. a desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen
  2. an expression of such a desire etc.
  3. the process of expressing or thinking about such a desire etc. (often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power(s)
  4. the thing desired or longed for
    Your dearest wish will come true.
    • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw
      "I suppose all old soldiers are the same," said Mrs White. "The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?" / "Might drop on his head from the sky," said the frivolous Herbert.
  5. (Sussex) a water meadow.

Usage notes

  • Collocates with make for the common expression make a wish. See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

wish ‎(third-person singular simple present wishes, present participle wishing, simple past and past participle wished)

  1. (transitive) To desire; to want.
    I'll come tomorrow, if you wish it.‎
    • William Shakespeare
      I would not wish / Any companion in the world but you.
    • Jonathan Swift, Phyllis
      Now John the butler must be sent
      To learn the road that Phyllis went:
      The groom was wished to saddle Crop;
      For John must neither light nor stop,
      But find her, wheresoe'er she fled,
      And bring her back alive or dead.
    • 1899, Hughes Mearns, Antigonish:
      Yesterday, upon the stair / I met a man who wasn’t there / He wasn’t there again today / I wish, I wish he’d go away …
  2. (intransitive, followed by for) To hope (for a particular outcome).
    • John Arbuthnot (1667-1735)
      This is as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for.
    • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw
      Mr. White took the paw from his pocket and eyed it dubiously. "I don't know what to wish for, and that's a fact," he said slowly. "It seems to me I've got all I want."
  3. (ditransitive) To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something).
    We wish you a Merry Christmas.‎
    • William Shakespeare
      I would not wish them to a fairer death.
    • Bible, Psalms xl. 14
      Let them be driven backward, and put to shame, that wish me evil.
  4. (intransitive, followed by to and an infinitive) To request or desire to do an activity.
    • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
  5. (transitive) To recommend; to seek confidence or favour on behalf of.
    • Ben Jonson
      I was wished to your worship by a gentleman.

Usage notes

  • In sense 4, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Derived terms

Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: lay · along · four · #331: wish · gone · times · girl

Etymology

From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan ‎(“to wish”), from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną ‎(“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wun-, *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”), Danish ønske ‎(“to wish”), Icelandic æskja, óska ‎(“to wish”), Latin Venus, veneror ‎(“venerate, honour, love”).

Pronunciation

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