collocations.org

Collocations for wish - noun

1. feeling that you want sth

ADJECTIVE

dearest, deepest, desperate, fervent, fondest (esp. AmE), greatest, strong
conscious, unconscious
secret
express, expressed
dying, final, 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

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VERB + wish

have
I have no wish to cause any trouble among them.
express, make known
She has expressed a wish to seek asylum here.
fulfil/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)
honour/honor, respect, take into account
It is vital for schools to respect the wishes of parents.
carry out, comply with, 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, go against, ignore, override (esp. BrE), ride roughshod over (BrE)
She eventually went against her family's wishes and published her autobiography.
The Government blatantly ignored the wishes of the public.
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.

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wish + NOUN

fulfilment/fulfillment
list
Draw up a wish list, defining the requirements for your ideal home.

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PREPOSITION

against sb's wishes
Against his mother's wishes, he decided to quit school and look for a job.
The meeting took place against the wishes of the State Department.
Her father will not speak to her, because she married against his wishes.
in sb's wish
In his wish to be as helpful as possible, he was forever asking her what she wanted.
in accordance with sb's wishs
In accordance with his wishes, his ashes were scattered at sea.
wish for
a wish for peace

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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.
get
If you're the one who finds the hidden box, you get a wish.
grant
The good fairy granted her three wishes.

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wish + VERB

come true
On Christmas Day their wishes came true.

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3. (usually wishes) hope that sb will be happy

ADJECTIVE

best, good
Give my best wishes to Alison.
well (AmE)
Thanks to all those who sent well wishes.
heartfelt, sincere

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VERB + wish

give sb, send (sb)

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PREPOSITION

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

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Collocations for wish - verb

ADVERB

dearly, desperately, devoutly (esp. AmE), 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
just, merely, only, simply
‘Where is he now?’ ‘I only wish I knew.’
sometimes
almost
When I see the kids playing football, I almost wish I was their age again.

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PREPOSITION

for
It's no use wishing for the impossible.

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Wish is used with these nouns as the object:
farewell, happiness, harm, luck, recovery

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