Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A feeling that one would like to have or do something or to see something happen; a desire, longing, or strong inclination for a specific thing.
  • noun An expression of a desire, longing, or strong inclination.
  • noun An expression of desire for the happiness or success of another.
  • noun Something desired or longed for.
  • intransitive verb To long for; want. synonym: desire.
  • intransitive verb To feel or express a desire for.
  • intransitive verb To order, entreat, or request.
  • intransitive verb To desire (something bad) to happen to someone.
  • intransitive verb To have or feel a desire.
  • intransitive verb To express a wish.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Desire; sometimes, eager desire or longing.
  • noun An expression of desire; a request; a petition; sometimes, an expression of either a benevolent or a malevolent disposition toward others.
  • noun The thing desired; the object of desire.
  • To have a wish or desire; cherish some desire, either for what is or for what is not supposed to be obtainable; long: often with for before an object.
  • To desire; crave; covet; want; long for: as, what do you wish ? my master wishes to speak with you.
  • To desire (something) to be: with objective predicate.
  • To desire in behalf of some one or something (expressed by dative); invoke, or call down (upon): as, to wish one joy or luck.
  • To recommend; commend to another's confidence, approval, kindness, or care.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To have a desire or yearning; to long; to hanker.
  • transitive verb To desire; to long for; to hanker after; to have a mind or disposition toward.
  • transitive verb 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.
  • transitive verb obsolete To recommend; to seek confidence or favor in behalf of.
  • noun Desire; eager desire; longing.
  • noun Expression of desire; request; petition; hence, invocation or imprecation.
  • noun A thing desired; an object of desire.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a will for something to happen.
  • noun Sussex a water meadow.
  • verb intransitive To hope (for a particular outcome).
  • verb transitive, with two objects To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something).
  • verb To request or desire to do an activity.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a specific feeling of desire
  • verb invoke upon
  • noun (usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
  • verb feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of
  • verb order politely; express a wish for
  • noun an expression of some desire or inclination
  • verb hope for; have a wish
  • verb make or express a wish
  • noun the particular preference that you have
  • verb prefer or wish to do something

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English wissh, from wisshen, to wish, from Old English wȳscan; see wen- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English wȳscan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *wunskijanan

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Examples

  • I hate endings, but endings, are just new beginnings, right? right? as you wish, my love, as you wish~ old starlight - new starbright

    wendchymes Diary Entry wendchymes 2007

  • I really can't stand the skinny thing and I just wish wish *wish* you'd get your old look back.

    6th August '05 2005

  • I will have his taste, I will have his smell, and he will have mine… while you just dream, dream, and wish, and wish…

    ugotsoul Diary Entry ugotsoul 2003

  • “I thought that you might possibly wish me to get in touch with you, if only to give you a few details  …   Yes  …   Yes  …   When you wish  …   I will come to the Rue de Varenne then an hour from now  …  ”

    Maigret in Society Simenon, Georges, 1903-1989 1962

  • "I wish -- I _wish_ I could only show you how I love you -- how grateful I am for all your goodness; but you will never, never know."

    The International Monthly, Volume 2, No. 4, March, 1851 Various

  • "I didn't mean for to wake you; but I wish -- I _wish_ I hadn't boned them coppers off Jim; it makes me feel so bad when I think as the King saw me;" and Wikkey buried his face in the kind arm which encircled him, in uncontrollable grief.

    Wikkey A Scrap Henrietta Vaders

  • On the other hand, if we wish to express a _desire_ or _wish_, a

    Latin for Beginners Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge 1900

  • And after she had been here she wrote to her father in Cracow, where he is at manoeuvres, saying that if he would like to grant her her chief wish, then, when he came back to Vienna, he was to take me with him to K-- M--; this was really the _greatest wish_ she had ever had in her life!

    A Young Girl's Diary Anonymous 1897

  • "I wish -- I _wish_," he said, "that you would let me take you home."

    Vagabondia 1884 Frances Hodgson Burnett 1886

  • 'I wish I could hear what he's saying,' thought the little maiden, 'or most of all, I _wish_ he'd go and that other man too -- oh, he's going, but Mr. Redding is asking for something else now!

    The Rectory Children Mrs. Molesworth 1880

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