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• at-will
  at-will

  adjective

  being, relating to, or involved in a work agreement that the employer or employee may legally end at any time without notice or cause.
• at will
  at will

  Freely, as one pleases, as in The grounds are open to the public and one can wander about at will, or With this thermostat you can adjust the room temperature at will. [1300s]

at-will

American  

[at-wil] / ˈætˈwɪl /

adjective

1. being, relating to, or involved in a work agreement that the employer or employee may legally end at any time without notice or cause.

   Companies in this industry often use both contract and at-will employment options.

   Since they aren't at-will employees, they can only be discharged with cause.

   Even in at-will states, employers cannot fire you for discriminatory reasons.

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at will Idioms  

1. Freely, as one pleases, as in The grounds are open to the public and one can wander about at will, or With this thermostat you can adjust the room temperature at will. [1300s]

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Etymology

Origin of at-will

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at-will at will

“That would turn for-cause protection into little more than at-will employment.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

Slaughter overturned the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, which had protected regulators from at-will termination for 91 years.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

US employers generally have broad discretion to fire workers for any reason, as most staff are hired under "at-will" contracts.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025

And the secretary’s power of at-will removal resolves one part of the panel’s constitutional flaw.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2025

Principals have tenure protections as teachers but are at-will employees as principals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024

Infantino has "crossed red line after red line", Sir Ed says, accusing him of "allowing corporate greed to exploit fans at will, destroying the integrity of the beautiful game".

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Instead, the surviving spouse can redeploy the funds at will.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

We may live in an increasingly lawless society, but that doesn’t mean all significance should be abandoned at will.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

You may know about dragons and phoenixes, but have you heard of the tarand, a reindeerlike animal who changes color at will?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

He had the power both of foretelling the future and of changing his shape at will.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• candidly
• openly
• voluntarily
• willingly