n. 1
A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.
make someone's wish come true
v. 1
To desire; to want.
I'll come tomorrow, if you wish (it).

Related words

Phrases: you wish as you wish wish well death wish

Forms

Plural: wishes → desires, wills, minds, pleasures…
Past participle: wished
e.g. wished → liked, cared, expected, longed…

Choose the right word

Wish or Desire?

Desire has a wide range, from the highest objects to the lowest; desire is for an object near at hand, or near in thought, and viewed as attainable; a wish may be for what is remote or uncertain, or even for what is recognized as impossible.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

desire It is true that we desire to live in a small town.
pleasure Tom derives pleasure from helping disabled people.
regard I have nothing to say with regard to that problem.
compliments Would you please give our compliments to the chef?
request We are sorry we are unable to accept your request.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
wish		steady
desire		rising
pleasure		rising
regard		falling
compliments		rising
request		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: bid¹
4 letters: will¹, like¹, want¹, long¹, care¹, mind¹
6 letters: expect², desire³, regard², liking², aspire², hanker²
7 letters: request², longing²
8 letters: pleasure²
10 letters: aspiration⁴
11 letters: compliments³, inclination⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (expect² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: souhait
Deutsch: Begehr