wish

[wish] /wɪʃ/
verb (used with object)
1.
to want; desire; long for (usually followed 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.
verb (used without object)
6.
to desire; long; yearn (often followed 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.
noun
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.
Verb phrases
12.
wish on,
  1. to force or impose (usually used in the negative):
    I wouldn't wish that awful job on my worst enemy.
  2. Also, wish upon. to make a wish using some object as a magical talisman:
    to wish on a star.
Origin
before 900; (v.) Middle English wisshen, Old English wȳscan; cognate with German wünschen, Old Norse æskja; akin to Old English wynn joy (see winsome), Latin venus charm (see Venus); (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.
Related forms
wisher, noun
wishless, adjective
interwish, verb (used with object), noun
outwish, verb (used with object)
Synonyms
1. crave. Wish, desire, want indicate a longing for something. 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 word, suggests a strong wish: They desire a new regime. Want, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment: People all over the world want peace. 5. direct, order. 12. will, want.
British Dictionary definitions for wish on

wish on

verb
1.
(transitive, preposition) to hope that (someone or something) should be imposed (on someone); foist: I wouldn't wish my cold on anyone

wish

/wɪʃ/
verb
1.
when tr, takes a clause as object or an infinitive; when intr, often foll by for. to want or desire (something, often that which cannot be or is not the case): I wish I lived in Italy, to wish for peace
2.
(transitive) to feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of: I wish you well
3.
(transitive) to desire or prefer to be as specified
4.
(transitive) to greet as specified; bid: he wished us good afternoon
5.
(transitive) (formal) to order politely: I wish you to come at three o'clock
noun
6.
the act of wishing; the expression of some desire or mental inclination: to make a wish
7.
something desired or wished for: he got his wish
8.
(usually pl) expressed hopes or desire, esp for someone's welfare, health, etc
9.
(often pl) (formal) a polite order or request
See also wish on
Derived Forms
wisher, noun
wishless, adjective
Word Origin
Old English wӯscan; related to Old Norse öskja, German wünschen, Dutch wenschen
Word Origin and History for wish on

wish

v.

Old English wyscan "to wish," from Proto-Germanic *wunskijanan (cf. Old Norse æskja, Danish ønske, Swedish önska, Middle Dutch wonscen, Dutch wensen, Old High German wunsken, German wunschen "to wish"), from PIE *wun-/*wen-/*won- "to strive after, wish, desire, be satisfied" (cf. Sanskrit vanati "he desires, loves, wins," Latin venus "love, sexual desire, loveliness," venerari "to worship;" see Venus). The noun is attested from c.1300. Wish fulfillment (1901) translates German wunscherfüllung (Freud, "Die Traumdeutung," 1900).

Idioms and Phrases with wish on

wish on

Foist or impose something on another, as in I wouldn't wish this job on my worst enemy. [ Early 1900s ]

wish

In addition to the idiom beginning with wish also see: if wishes were horses