wishing Definition

wish
verb wishes, wished, wishing

1. To want; to have a desire.

Thesaurus: aspire, yearn, hope, crave, yen, hunger, long for, want, need, desire; Antonym: dislike, fear.
2. To desire, especially vainly or helplessly (that something were the case).
3. To express a desire for (luck, success, happiness, etc) to come to someone.
4. To demand or want something, or to do something.

Thesaurus: require, order, ask, bid, request, command.
5. To say (good afternoon, etc) to someone.

noun wishes

1. A desire.

Thesaurus: aspiration, hope, whim, inclination, desideratum; hankering, yen, desire, yearning, want, hunger, urge; Antonym: dislike, fear.
2. What one wants to be done, etc.

Form: wishes (usually)
3. A hope expressed for someone's welfare.

Example: best wishes
Form: wishes
4. In fairy tales and traditional ritual, etc: the stating of a desire in expectation or hope of its being magically fulfilled.

Derivative: wisher
noun

Idiom: wish someone joy of something

usually ironic
To wish them well of (some liability or commitment, etc that the speaker is glad to be rid of).

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon wyscan.

Phrasal Verb: wish for something

To long for it, especially in vain.To make a wish for it.

Phrasal Verb: wish someone well

To wish them success or good fortune.To bear them no ill-will.

Phrasal Verb: wish something on someone

To desire it to be inflicted on them.
Example: I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy
To impose or inflict it on them.
Example: I expect she'll wish herself on us for Christmas