wish
Usage
What are other ways to say wish?
To wish is to feel an impulse toward attainment or possession of something; the strength of the feeling may be of greater or lesser intensity: I wish I could go home. Desire, a more formal verb, suggests a strong wish: They desire liberation. Want, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment: People all over the world want peace.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The wish tags hanging on the “Wish Tree” feature various hopes and dreams that are written in a number of different languages.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
I wish that we could say, “I’d like to try this now,” but it’s basically where they believe they would like us.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Given that, she may wish to increase the rental price and add a cleaning fee.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
"I wish she'd never crossed paths with Nicola. But it's a name I'll never forget the rest of my life."
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
I wish for the wind to shift, to pull the fresh ocean air inland, instead of wafting the smell of rotting fish from the barrels down the ramp over me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Vocabulary lists containing wish
