Meaning of "wish" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WISH

Old English wӯscan; related to Old Norse öskja, German wünschen, Dutch wenschen.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF WISH

wish  [wɪʃ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WISH

Wish is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb wish in English.

WHAT DOES WISH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Wish

A wish is a hope or desire for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.

Definition of wish in the English dictionary

The first definition of wish in the dictionary is when tr, takes a clause as object or an infinitive; when intr, often foll by for to want or desire. Other definition of wish is to feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of. Wish is also to desire or prefer to be as specified.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WISH

PRESENT

Present

I wish

you wish

he/she/it wishes

we wish

you wish

they wish

Present continuous

I am wishing

you are wishing

he/she/it is wishing

we are wishing

you are wishing

they are wishing

Present perfect

I have wished

you have wished

he/she/it has wished

we have wished

you have wished

they have wished

Present perfect continuous

I have been wishing

you have been wishing

he/she/it has been wishing

we have been wishing

you have been wishing

they have been wishing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I wished

you wished

he/she/it wished

we wished

you wished

they wished

Past continuous

I was wishing

you were wishing

he/she/it was wishing

we were wishing

you were wishing

they were wishing

Past perfect

I had wished

you had wished

he/she/it had wished

we had wished

you had wished

they had wished

Past perfect continuous

I had been wishing

you had been wishing

he/she/it had been wishing

we had been wishing

you had been wishing

they had been wishing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will wish

you will wish

he/she/it will wish

we will wish

you will wish

they will wish

Future continuous

I will be wishing

you will be wishing

he/she/it will be wishing

we will be wishing

you will be wishing

they will be wishing

Future perfect

I will have wished

you will have wished

he/she/it will have wished

we will have wished

you will have wished

they will have wished

Future perfect continuous

I will have been wishing

you will have been wishing

he/she/it will have been wishing

we will have been wishing

you will have been wishing

they will have been wishing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would wish

you would wish

he/she/it would wish

we would wish

you would wish

they would wish

Conditional continuous

I would be wishing

you would be wishing

he/she/it would be wishing

we would be wishing

you would be wishing

they would be wishing

Conditional perfect

I would have wish

you would have wish

he/she/it would have wish

we would have wish

you would have wish

they would have wish

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been wishing

you would have been wishing

he/she/it would have been wishing

we would have been wishing

you would have been wishing

they would have been wishing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you wish
we let´s wish
you wish

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to wish

Past participle

wished

Present Participle

wishing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «WISH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «wish» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of wish

ambition · ask · aspiration · behest · bid · bidding · choose · command · craving · demand · desire · direct · fancy · feel · hankering · hope · hunger · inclination · instruct · intention · itch · liking · longing · lust · order · please · request · require · thirst · urge · want · whim · will · yearning · yen

TRANSLATION OF WISH

Find out the translation of wish to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of wish from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «wish» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 愿望
• Translator English - Spanish: deseo
• English: wish
• Translator English - Hindi: इच्छा
• Translator English - Arabic: أُمْنِيَّة
• Translator English - Russian: желание
• Translator English - Portuguese: desejo
• Translator English - Bengali: কামনা
• Translator English - French: souhait
• Translator English - Malay: Ingin
• Translator English - German: Wunsch
• Translator English - Japanese: 願い
• Translator English - Korean: 소원
• Translator English - Javanese: Pengin
• Translator English - Vietnamese: điều ước
• Translator English - Tamil: விரும்புகிறேன்
• Translator English - Marathi: इच्छा
• Translator English - Turkish: dilek
• Translator English - Italian: desiderio
• Translator English - Polish: życzenie
• Translator English - Ukrainian: бажання
• Translator English - Romanian: dorință
• Translator English - Greek: ευχή
• Translator English - Afrikaans: wens
• Translator English - Swedish: önskan
• Translator English - Norwegian: ønske

10 QUOTES WITH «WISH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word wish.

1

Chris Abani

The Igbo used to say that they built their own gods. They would come together as a community, and they would express a wish. And their wish would then be brought to a priest, who would find a ritual object, and the appropriate sacrifices would be made, and the shrine would be built for the god.

2

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

People ask me if I have some kind of death wish, to keep saying the things I do. The answer is no: I would like to keep living. However, some things must be said, and there are times when silence becomes an accomplice to injustice.

3

Oksana Baiul

I wish I could say it's easy, but honestly, to get ready for a big championship is not as easy as it seems.

4

Annie Besant

The generous wish to share with all what is precious, to spread broadcast priceless truths, to shut out none from the illumination of true knowledge, has resulted in a zeal without discretion that has vulgarised Christianity, and has presented its teachings in a form that often repels the heart and alienates the intellect.

5

Berkeley Breathed

I'll confess right here that I secretly wish I'd have drawn a strip about a little boy with a fake tiger, going for adventures throughout the universe in spaceships of his imagination.

6

Fanny Brice

Affectation is a very good word when someone does not wish to confess to what he would none the less like to believe of himself.

7

Edward Burtynsky

I wish I could create an IMAX film that would make my work accessible to a broader audience.

8

Thomas Campbell

An original something, dear maid, you would wish me to write; but how shall I begin? For I'm sure I have not original in me, Excepting Original Sin.

9

Mark Canton

To be honest, I found the 3D in 'Avatar' to be inconsistent and while ground breaking in many respects, sometimes I thought it overwhelmed the storytelling. Technology aside, I wish 'Avatar' had been more original in its storytelling.

10

Justin Chambers

Oh, I wish I could tell you I was a Mr. Fix-It, but I am not that kind of guy. I get frustrated so easily.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WISH»

Discover the use of wish in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to wish and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Wish

If you could have anything, what would you wish for?

Alexandra Bullen, 2010

The Last Wish

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher.

Andrzej Sapkowski, 2008

Ruby's Wish

In China, at a time when few girls are taught to read or write, Ruby dreams of going to the university with her brothers and male cousins.

Shirin Yim Bridges, 2002

We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with ...

This remarkable debut book chronicles what has happened in Rwanda and neighboring states since 1994, when the Rwandan government called on everyone in the Hutu majority to murder everyone in the Tutsi minority.

Philip Gourevitch, 1999

Just One Wish

Seventeen-year-old Annika tries to cheer up her little brother Jeremy before his surgery to remove a cancerous tumor by bringing home his favorite television actor, Steve Raleigh, the star of "Teen Robin Hood."

Janette Rallison, 2009

You Wish

Kayla McHenry?s sweet sixteen sucks!

Mandy Hubbard, 2010

Wish

While trying to help her eleven-year-old brother who suffers from cystic fibrosis get his greatest wish, fifteen-year-old Bee discovers that she has some special wishes of her own.

Joseph Monninger, 2012

Wish

Before Adam, their angry and worried father, can reach them, he must learn to follow seemingly useless leads, and to listen carefully to the tale that lies behind the villain’s bitterness.

Michael Tolkien, 2013

I Wish I'd Been There

With imagination, insight, and vivid detail, I Wish I’d Been There is an engaging tour through key events in American history. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Byron Hollinshead, 2007

I Wish Daddy Didn't Drink So Much

A young girl shares her feelings and frustrations about her alcoholic father's behavior.

‎1998

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WISH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term wish is used in the context of the following news items.

Mobile Shopping App Wish Buys Android Lockscreen App Maker …

Mobile shopping startup Wish — fresh off a $500 million round of funding — has made its first acquisition. The company has acquired Locket, a startup that ... «TechCrunch, Jul 15»

Thousands without power as strong storms pass through

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – UPDATE 8:45 p.m.: IPLS says about 18,000 households remain with power. About 40,000 people were impacted by outages after ... «WISH-TV, Jul 15»

Attorney: Fogle cooperating with law enforcement

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Police were at the home of Subway spokesman Jared Fogle on Tuesday morning as part of a child porn investigation. A heavy ... «WISH-TV, Jul 15»

Viking's Choice: toe, 'My Little Wish'

Kashikura Takashi is a hell of a drummer. Fifteen years into the existence of toe, he's often been the focus of the instrumental Japanese post-rock band, and for ... «NPR, Jul 15»

Wish-Bone recalls Ranch dressing

The makers Wish-Bone salad dressing have voluntarily recalled a limited quantity of Wish-Bone Ranch Salad Dressing because the bottles contain blue cheese ... «Chicago Tribune, Jun 15»

Columbus couple asking for essay in exchange for home

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — What if you were told you could own a 6,200-square-foot home on almost 5 acres of property, complete with an indoor pool? «WISH-TV, Jun 15»

Ross teen gives her 'Dream wish' to her mother for wedding day

Jenevieve chose the wish prior to starting a second phase of a trial of an experimental drug to slow her disease. She is the first person in Pittsburgh and one of ... «Tribune-Review, Jun 15»

Even the funny Death Wish films are repugnantly fascist

In 1974, Death Wish fit snugly into a wave of films depicting New York City (specifically Manhattan) at best wildly unpleasant and at worst an apocalyptic ... «A.V. Club, May 15»

Wish, a Direct-From-China Shopping App, Lures Bargain Hunters

On the smartphone shopping app Wish, everything is a bargain: A $2,470 man's watch for $69! A $399 waterproof Wi-Fi camera, just $89! $229 stilettos for the ... «Wall Street Journal, May 15»

Indiana dentists accused of overtreating patients, overbilling Medicaid

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – UPDATE: May 20, 2015 — Indiana officials have given new information about dentists' billing practice. See update below. —. «WISH-TV, May 15»