How do you use the word "wish" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "wish": I wish I could go to Japan. What famous songs do you wish you had composed, and why?

Wish Meaning

/ˈwɪʃ/

Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.

nounAn expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power.

Sentence Examples

I wish I could go to Japan.

What famous songs do you wish you had composed, and why?

I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

want like care

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

I ____ that I could visit my grandmother who lives far away.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

I ____ I could go on holiday to a tropical island this summer and several enjoy the warm weather today.

Word Origin & History

From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”). Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Luxembourgish wënschen (“to wish”), Yiddish ווינטשן (vintshn, “to wish”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ønske (“to wish”), Faroese ynskja (“to wish, to desire”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Norwegian Nynorsk ønskja, ønskje, ønska, ønske, ynskja, ynskje (“to wish, to desire”), Swedish önska (“to wish”). Via PIE cognate with Latin Venus, veneror (“venerate, honour, love”), English wonder.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Send this message to six beings of your acquaintance, and your greatest wish shall come true!" — 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!:

"LESTER: You believe in wishes? I mean, you believe they come true? CHESTER: Nah. I believe in wishes, but I don't believe they come true. Not unless it's a real easy wish, like "I wish I was at a birthday party." But you gotta blow out all the candles, or else the wish don't come true. If one candle stays lit, you don't get your wish." — 2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 237:

""I suppose all old soldiers are the same," said Mrs White. "The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?" / "Might drop on his head from the sky," said the frivolous Herbert." — 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw:

"Showing the population what we wish them to be is the best way for them to change." — 2018 May 13, Justin King, “How to Fix the Storylines of Film and Television”, in Return of Kings:

"I would not wish / Any companion in the world but you." — 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

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