wish away
To want something bad to just go away by wishing, even though that doesn't actually work.
Meanings
To try to eliminate something unpleasant or difficult simply by wanting it not to exist, rather than dealing with it.
"You can't just wish away your debt — you have to make a plan and start paying it off."
""We cannot wish away the fact that we are always going to have neighbours.""
— Nelson Mandela, speech on South Africa's foreign policy, 1990s.
To spend time wishing that a period of one's life would end quickly, thereby wasting that time.
"She spent her whole first year at university wishing it away, longing to be back home."
Almost always used in negative or conditional constructions ('You can't wish it away', 'If only I could wish it away'). Implies that the person knows their wishing is futile but feels helpless. Not common as an imperative.
Commonly used with
Forms
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