wishful 'thinking n [U] the false belief that something is true or will happen simply because one wishes it: Their hopes of a peace settlement are nothing more than wishful thinking.
'wishing well n a well or pool of water which people believe will make a wish come true if they throw a coin into it
'wish list n infml a list of things one wants, especially from a business deal
wish·y-wash·y /'wʃi,wʃi|-,wɔ:fi, -,wa:fi/ adj derog 1 (of drinks, soup etc) thin and without strength; WATERY: wishy-washy tea 2 without determination or clear aims and principles: wishy-washy ideas | He's a wishy-washy liberal.
wisp /wɪsp/ n [(of)] 1 a thin or delicate untidy piece: a wisp of hair | wisps of grass 2 a small thin twisting bit (of smoke or steam) —wispy adj
wis·te·ri·a /wi'stiəriə/ n a climbing plant with purple or white flowers
wist·ful /'wistfəl/ adj thoughtful and rather sad, especially because of desires which may not be satisfied or memories of past happiness which may not return: wistful reminiscences of her lost youth ︷ly adv ︸ness n [U]
wit¹ /wɪt/ n 1 [U] apprec the ability to say things which are both clever and amusing at the same time: conversation sparkling with wit 2 [C] a person who has this ability: Oscar Wilde was a famous wit. 3 [U] also wits pl. — power of thought; INTELLIGENCE: It is surely not beyond the wit of the government to solve this simple problem. (=it should be possible for them to do it) | He hadn't the wit to say no. | (fig.) The explosion frightened me out of my wits. (=very much) → see also HALF-WIT 4 at one's wits end infml made so worried by difficulties that one does not know what to do next 5 have/keep one's wits about one to be ready to think quickly and act sensibly according to what may happen 6 -witted
/wittd/ having the stated type of ability or understanding: quick-witted → see also WITTY, live by/on one's wits (LIVE)
wit² v to wit old use or law that is (to say); NAMELY
witch /wɪtʃ/ n 1 a woman who has magic powers, especially one who can make bad things happen to people, such as an illness or accident. → see also WICKED WITCH 2 derog an unpleasant and ugly woman 3 old-fashioned woman who seems to have unusual power in attracting men → see also BEWITCH
witch
CULTURAL NOTE The STEREOTYPE of a witch is a very ugly old woman wearing a long black dress and a tall, black pointed hat. She usually has a black cat and rides through the air on a BROOMSTICK. Between the 14th and the 17th centuries people were very frightened of witches, and many women were killed because they were thought to be witches. People remember this happening especially in the town of SALEM, in the US. There were many strange tests to see if someone was a witch, including things such as tying a heavy stone to someone and throwing them in a river or pond. If they FLOATED, they were thought to be a witch.
witch·craft /'wɪtʃkra:ft\|-kræft/ n [U] the performing of magic to make especially bad things happen
witch·doc·tor /'witʃ,dɒktər/ -da:k-/ n derog (in some non-Western societies) a man who is believed to have magical powers and be able to cure people; a MEDICINE MAN or SHAMAN.
'Witches' 'Sabbath n a midnight meeting of witches, believed in the past to be attended by the Devil and to involve a lot of immoral sexual behaviour
'witch-, hazel, wych-hazel n [C;U] (a tree which produces) a liquid used for treating small wounds on the skin
'witch-hunt n derog a planned attempt, often based on false information, to remove from power or from membership of a group those people whose political opinions are disapproved of or regarded as dangerous
'witching ,hour [the] an important moment, especially at night, when something special is to happen
Wite-out trademark a type of white liquid sold in the US, used for covering mistakes that are written or typed on a piece of paper
with /wɪð, wɪθ/ prep 1 in the presence or company of; near, beside, or among: I'm staying with (=at the house of) a friend. | Leave your dog with me. | All you do to make the soup is mix the powder with boiling water. | Who was that man you were with last night? 2 a) having or possessing: a book with a green cover | a well-known bank with over 200 branches | a child with a dirty face | The equipment comes (complete) with instructions and a guarantee. | With a few exceptions, it's a very friendly group of people. b) showing (a quality): They fought with courage. | I read your letter with great interest. c) including: With a tip, the meal cost $30 for two. → opposite WITHOUT 3 by means of; using: You eat it with a spoon. | Cut it with the scissors. | What will you buy with the money? | This photo was taken with a cheap camera. 4 (shows the idea of filling, covering, or containing): filled it with sugar. | It was covered with dirt. 5 concerning in regard to or in the case of: Be careful with that glass. | Be gentle with the baby. | He's in love with you. | She has a lot of influence with the president. | Be patient with them. | Britain's trade with Japan | What's wrong/the matter with you? | I'm very pleased with my new car. | I agree/disagree with his suggestion. | The trouble with this job (=the thing that is unsatisfactory about it) is that the pay is too low. 6 ir support of; in favour of: Some opposition MPs voted with the government. | You're either with me or against me. 7 against Stop fighting with your brother. | Have a race with me. | We're competing with foreign businesses. 8 in the same direction as: We sailed with the wind/with the tide. 9 at the same time and rate as: With the dark nights comes the bad weather. | This wine improves with age. 10 (used in comparisons): It's like comparing chalk with cheese. | The window is level with the street. | Compared with other children of the same age, he's very tall. 11 (shows separation): She doesn't want to par with the money. | The new system represents a complete break with tradition. 12 in spite of: With all his faults, I still like him. | With the best will (=intention) in the world I can't do it if they won't provide the money. 13 because of or considering the fact of: They were trembling with fear. | The grass wa wet with rain. | With John away (=because John is away we've got more room. | With our luck (=considering our usual bad luck) we'll probably miss the plane. | With profits up by 60%, the company has had another excellent year. 14 (used in expressing wishes or commands strongly): Down with school! | Off to bed with you! | Away with old ideas! | On with the show! 15 with me/you (usually in questions and negatives following my/your argument: Are you still with me? | I'm no with you; you're going too fast. 16 with that also at that – when that had been done; then: He gave a little wave and with that he was gone. → see also what with (WHAT)
Note how by is used before people or things that do a job, while with is used before the things that are used to do the job, in sentences like this: He was murdered by his enemies. He was shot with an arrow. He was killed by a blow to the head with an axe.
with-al /wɪðˈɔːl/ adv old use besides; together with this
with·draw /wɪˈdrɔːr, wɪθ-/ v -drew /ˈdruːr/, -drawn /ˈdrɔːn/ [（from）] 1 [T] to take away or take back: She withdrew ££ from her bank account. | The drug, which is suspected having serious side effects, has been withdrawn from the market. | (fig.) to withdraw a remark/an allegation/a offer 2 [；T] to (cause to) move away or move back: The two men withdrew from the room (=went outside) while the meeting voted for which should be chairman. | The general withdrew his army as it was suffering so many casualties. 3 [；T] to (cause to) not take part in an activity: She withdrew from the election. | He withdrew his horse from the race. → see also WITHDRAWN
with·draw·al /wɪðˈdrɔːəl, wɪθ-/ n [(from)] 1 [U] the act of withdrawing or state of being withdrawn: withdrawal of financial support for his scheme 2 [C] an example of this