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.
He said the United States sought "respectful" and "good-faith" engagement with Beijing, adding: "I wish my counterpart was here at this conference, but I look forward to other options when we can cross paths."
From Barron's • May 30, 2026
Aesthetics aside, I wish the charging port was not hidden in the left-side cove.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
“Trust me, you have no idea how much I wish I had never picked them up, but I did.”
From Slate • May 28, 2026
By last year this had soared to 660,114, and many simply wish to tip.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
I kept seeing her eyes flashing with cold fury, her face pinched and hard, her words: I wish we’d never been sent here together.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Vocabulary lists containing wish
