Meaning & use
wish
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To want something to happen, especially when it is unlikely or impossible.
Grammar: Can be used with a clause: 'I wish (that) I could go.' Also with 'to': 'I wish to speak to the manager.'
Patterns
- wish (that) someone/something did something
- wish to do something
- wish for something
- wish someone something
I wish I had more free time.
She wishes she could travel around the world.
They wished for good weather on their wedding day.
verbtransitive
To say that you hope someone has something good, such as luck or happiness.
Grammar: Takes two objects: wish someone something. Common in fixed phrases like 'wish you luck'.
Patterns
- wish someone luck
- wish someone a happy birthday
- wish someone well
I wished her good luck before the exam.
We wish you a merry Christmas.
He wished them a safe journey.
nouncountable
A desire or hope for something to happen, or the thing that is desired.
Grammar: Countable; often used in phrases like 'make a wish' or 'have a wish'.
Patterns
- make a wish
- have a wish
- a wish for something
- a wish come true
She made a wish before blowing out the candles.
His wish was to become a doctor.
The charity helps grant wishes for sick children.
Word forms
| third person singular | wishes |
|---|---|
| past tense | wished |
| past participle | wished |
| -ing form | wishing |
| plural | wishes |
Common combinations
- wish for
- The children wished for snow on Christmas Day.
- make a wish
- Close your eyes and make a wish.
- wish someone luck
- I called to wish her luck in the interview.
- wish come true
- Her wish came true when she got the job.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hope
- Hope is more neutral and often suggests a realistic possibility; wish often implies something less likely or impossible.
- want
- Want is stronger and more direct about desire; wish is softer and often used for things you cannot control.
- desire
- Desire is more formal and intense; wish is more common in everyday speech.
Word family
- wishful adjective
- Having or expressing a wish; often in 'wishful thinking'.
- wishing noun
- The act of making a wish, as in 'wishing well'.
Commonly confused: wish or wash?
wish vs wash
Wash sounds similar but means to clean with water; wish means to want or hope for something.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'I wish I ____ taller.'
Choose one answer.
After 'wish' about an unreal present situation, use 'were' for all subjects in formal English. 'Was' is common informally but less standard; 'am' and 'be' are incorrect here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.