will1
/wɪl
/modal verb (third singular present will; past would /wʊd/)
1Expressing the future tense: you will regret it when you are older...
- Soon there will be bitter regret at all the public land being squandered irredeemably.
- Now that she has settled into the British way of life the move to Bradford is one she will never regret.
- Alcohol loosens tongues and will allow you to say things you will truly regret later.
1.1Expressing a strong intention or assertion about the future: come what may, I will succeed...
- We are a very strong team and we will turn it around.
- If you make something special and powerful and honest and true, you will succeed.
- It just takes so long to get the help needed but I'm so much stronger now and I know I will get through it.
2Expressing inevitable events: accidents will happen...
- It is a necessary fact that animals will die and suffer in the pursuit of human betterment.
- We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
- There will always be different trends of opinion in any large, growing socialist party.
Synonyms
have a tendency to, are bound to, have a habit of, do
3Expressing a request: will you stop here, please...
- By the way, you will stop me when I get a title graphic up that everyone likes won't you?
3.1Expressing desire, consent, or willingness: will you have a cognac?...
- Neither man will give his consent for the use of the embryos, which is required by law.
- He is keen to cater to all and if requested will happily search out brands he doesn't already stock.
- Bury is not hosting any official events, but will help groups to organise parties.
4Expressing facts about ability or capacity: a rock so light that it will float on water your tank will hold about 26 gallons...
- The way we choose to interpret and perceive stares will influence our ability to cope with them.
- There are shareware programs that will generate tones of frequencies you specify.
- They will also float if you drop one overboard and you can scoop it up with a fish net.
5Expressing habitual behaviour: she will dance for hours...
- The strongest animals will never allow themselves to be captured and put in cages.
- All I have to do is walk down the street and kids and adults will stop and gawk at me.
- They will do this at a certain time of day and the great thing is to break them of the habit.
5.1(Pronounced stressing ‘will’) indicating annoyance about the habitual behaviour described: he will keep intruding
6Expressing probability or expectation about something in the present: they will be miles away by now...
- The anger felt in the Square Mile will probably not be comprehensible to him, but it is real.
- Since this is a matter of probabilities, it will often not be easy to calculate.
- However often the symptoms will be present for some months or years before help is sought.
Usage
On the differences in use between will and shall, see shall (usage).
Phrases
will do
Origin
Old English wyllan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch willen, German wollen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin velle 'will, wish'.
Rhymes
will2
/wɪl/noun
1The faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action: she has an iron will a battle of wills between children and their parents [mass noun]: an act of will...
- It became this battle of wills between the two sides.
- We have to recognise that we have laid most of the building blocks already and that it is too late to win a battle of wills.
- If he is determined to make this a battle of wills, the outcome could be very messy.
Synonyms
determination, firmness of purpose, fixity of purpose, will power, strength of character, resolution, resolve, resoluteness, purposefulness, single-mindedness, drive, commitment, dedication, doggedness, tenacity, tenaciousness, staying power, backbone, spine;
self-control, self-restraint, self-discipline, self-mastery;
volition;
German Sitzfleisch
informal stickability
North American informal stick-to-it-iveness
rare perseveration
volition, choice, option, decision, discretion, prerogative
1.1 (also willpower) [mass noun] Control deliberately exerted to do something or to restrain one’s own impulses: a stupendous effort of will...
- I am proud of myself; I have managed to fulfill a feat of endurance and willpower and maintain control over my body.
- It took all my willpower to restrain from running to the harbor and instead follow Mr. Kenton at a swift pace.
- The man looked to be using every ounce of willpower he possessed to restrain himself.
1.2A deliberate or fixed desire or intention: Jane had not wanted them to stay against their will [with infinitive]: the will to live...
- As Hume illustrates, we might suppose that there are no Reasons in the area of ethics - just the desires or wills of particular persons, not necessarily shared or respected by anyone else.
- I doubted, as I watched over the little boy's head, that the old man would live, but there were always several people who had strong wills to live.
- Artistic talent is very often present, but the will to express this talent may be slow to appear.
Synonyms
desire, wish, preference, inclination, mind, disposition;
intention, intent
1.3The thing that one desires or ordains: Jane tells St. John that she could marry him if she only knew it was God’s will...
- Instead, they explain that all humans have wills and desires, and it should not be surprising that infants also express theirs.
- They are enacting their own selfish wills, and teaching us to do the same.
Synonyms
wish, desire, decision, choice, intention;
decree, ordinance, command, dictate
2A legal document containing instructions as to what should be done with one’s money and property after one’s death.Up and down the country, thousands of other people have done the same, yet all of us knew at the time we signed such documents that these wills had no proper legal status....
- And those jurisdictions have also eliminated discrimination in the areas of property division, wills, stamp duty and hospital visitation rights.
- In her classes, she pestered professors with questions about how the legal topic in question - wills and trusts, property law - might apply to pets.
Synonyms
testament, last will and testament, last wishes;
bequest(s)
verb [with object]
1chiefly formal or literary Intend, desire, or wish (something) to happen: their friendship flourished particularly because Adams willed it...
- Is it the case that a spell will not work if the person casting it consciously desires or wills the outcome?
- From another angle, however, it is possible to argue that his premature death was willed by the state.
- To save the world, in this understanding, God willed the violent death of God's only beloved son.
Synonyms
decree, order, ordain, command, direct;
intend, wish, want
1.1 [with object and infinitive] Make or try to make (someone) do something or (something) happen by the exercise of mental powers: reluctantly he willed himself to turn and go back she stared into the fog, willing it to clear...
- We sat by Charlie's bed for five days, just willing him to wake up.
- The crowd were willing him on but the goal never came.
- With only one weekend left until Christmas, the major retailers are willing us all to indulge in a last-minute splurge of spending.
2 (will something to) Bequeath something to (someone) by the terms of one’s will: his father willed the farm to Mr Timms...
- If I should die before he is freed, the case will be willed to another attorney.
- To Bentham, who willed his own body to the University of London, it was perfectly just to put the bodies of paupers to scientific use as a means of repaying their public debt.
- He willed the farm to Annie before lapsing into delirium and feverishly mumbling his last words in the Maori he knew so well.
Synonyms
bequeath, leave, give, hand down, hand on, pass on, settle on, make over, transfer, gift;
Law devise
2.1 [with clause] Leave specified instructions in one’s will: he willed that his body should be given to the hospital...
- When he died, he willed that all he had hidden down here be buried with him.
- She had willed that after her death parts of her body be put on display or sent to those responsible for abusing animals.
Phrases
at will
have a will of one's own
have one's will
if you will
what you will
where there's a will there's a way
with the best will in the world
with a will
Origin
Old English willa (noun), willian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wil, German Wille (nouns), also to will1 and the adverb well1.