wish noun

1 feeling that you want sth

ADJ. dearest, deepest, fervent, greatest, strong | conscious, unconscious | secret | dying, last He was denied his dying wish to be reconciled with his son. | death Freud's theory of the death wish | personal | parental the child's detention against parental wishes

VERB + WISH have | express, make known She has expressed a wish to visit the Houses of Parliament. | fulfill She fulfilled her deepest wish when she flew solo for the first time. | get She's always wanted to be an actress, and I'm sure she'll get her wish. | grant sb | be responsive to, consider, honour, respect, take into account It is vital for schools to respect the wishes of parents. | carry out, comply with, implement, meet We need to update our equipment if we are to meet customers' wishes. | obey She flew into a rage if the staff didn't obey her wishes. | deny sb | disregard, flout, go against, ignore, override, ride roughshod over The committee rode roughshod over the wishes of union members. | reflect The change to the constitution reflects the wishes of the people who voted in the referendum.

WISH + NOUN fulfilment | list Draw up a wish list, defining the requirements for your ideal home.

PREP. against sb's ~s Her father will not speak to her, because she married against his wishes. | in sb's ~ In his wish to be as helpful as possible, he was forever asking her what she wanted. | in accordance with sb's ~s In accordance with his wishes, his ashes were scattered at sea. | ~ for a wish for peace

2 saying secretly to yourself what you want to happen

VERB + WISH have, make When you see a black cat, you have to make a wish. | be allowed, get If you're the one who finds the hidden box, you get a wish. | grant The good fairy granted her three wishes.

WISH + VERB come true Lo and behold, on Christmas Day their wishes came true.

3 (usually wishes) hope that sb will be happy

ADJ. best, good Give my best wishes to Alison.

VERB + WISH give sb, send (sb)

PREP. with ~ (at the end of a letter) With best wishes for a happy birthday. | ~ for Every good wish for your future happiness together.

wish verb

ADV. dearly, desperately, devoutly, fervently, heartily, really, sincerely I heartily wished that I had stayed at home. I really wish I could go to America. | hard If you wish really hard, maybe you'll get what you want. | secretly | merely, only, simply ‘Where is he now?’ ‘I only wish I knew.’

PREP. for It's no use wishing for the impossible.

You can also check other dicts: wish (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition

  • IELTS Speaking Topics (part 1,2,3)
  • IELTS Essay Writing Topics
  • IELTS Writing Ideas
  • Free Collocation Download