only wish/want/hope

idiom

—used to stress that someone's wishing/wanting/hoping something is the simple truth

He only wished she'd told him sooner.

I only wish I knew what was going on.

He only wanted to help.

I only hope she can get over this.

Examples of only wish/want/hope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The film follows Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, as the pair become Earth’s only hope when faced with the threat of an alien invasion. —

Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024 Tehran's only hope is to form a proxy in the rubble of the regime among the Alawites (an offshoot of Shiism of which Assad was a part) or other Shia minorities. —

Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024 Our only hope is that rational Republicans will refuse to to confirm him for the office. —

Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2024 Cotton is being predictably disingenuous, but Democrats now can only hope that slightly more reasonable Republican senators than Cotton will not fall for this logic. —

Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for only wish/want/hope

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“Only wish/want/hope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/only%20wish%2Fwant%2Fhope. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

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