[wish] 
| 1. | to want; desire; long for (usually fol. by an infinitive or a clause): I wish to travel. I wish that it were morning. |
| 2. | to desire (a person or thing) to be (as specified): to wish the problem settled. |
| 3. | to entertain wishes, favorably or otherwise, for: to wish someone well; to wish someone ill. |
| 4. | to bid, as in greeting or leave-taking: to wish someone a good morning. |
| 5. | to request or charge: I wish him to come. |
| 6. | to desire; long; yearn (often fol. by for): Mother says I may go if I wish. I wished for a book. |
| 7. | to make a wish: She wished more than she worked. |
| 8. | an act or instance of wishing. |
| 9. | a request or command: I was never forgiven for disregarding my father's wishes. |
| 10. | an expression of a wish, often one of a kindly or courteous nature: to send one's best wishes. |
| 11. | something wished or desired: He got his wish—a new car. |
| 12. | wish on,
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| wish (wĭsh) n.
v. tr.
[Middle English wissh, from wisshen, to wish, from Old English wȳscan; see wen-1 in Indo-European roots.] wish'er n. Usage Note: Wish is widely used as a polite substitute for want with infinitives: Do you wish to sit at a table on the terrace? Anyone who wishes to may leave now. This usage is appropriate for formal style, where it is natural to treat the desires of others with exaggerated deference. The corresponding use of wish with a noun-phrase object is less frequent: Anyone who wishes an aisle seat should see an attendant. Both usages are likely to sound stilted in informal style, however, and want may be substituted for wish. · A traditional rule requires the use of were rather than was in a contrary-to-fact statement that follows wish: I wish I were (not was) lighter on my feet. While many people continue to insist on upholding this rule, the indicative was in such clauses can be found in the works of many well-known writers. See Usage Notes at if, want. |