Meanings
- A response to someone wishing for something, conveying that merely wishing for something has no effect or is of no use.
Synonyms: wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one fills up first
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbA response to someone wishing for something, conveying that merely wishing for something has no effect or is of no use.
Cite this entry
if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20wishes%20were%20horses%2C%20beggars%20would%20ride
“if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20wishes%20were%20horses%2C%20beggars%20would%20ride. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20wishes%20were%20horses%2C%20beggars%20would%20ride.
Source: if wishes were horses, beggars would ride on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.