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.
A 6% annual return is another $7,900 lost in potential returns, but you may wish to worry less about that in your 70s.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
I wish we’d finish the task and encourage democracy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
“Maybe it’s a fantasy, and maybe it’s wish fulfillment.”
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
I only wish that Angel Hernández was still around so we could see him overruled and disgraced dozens of times every night.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
“I wish I could purchase it. It’s exactly the type of art I’d love to collect.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
