willies
Americannoun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of willies
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; origin obscure; cf. -s 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But upon closer interrogation, the whole thing gave me the willies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
My favorite horror movies this year laid off the flashy effects and instead gave me the unshakable willies the unshowy way: with creeping dread and uncertain stillness.
From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2022
Granted, discovering that her superfan collected one of her toenails does give the otherwise unflappable spirit a serious case of the willies.
From Salon • Dec. 29, 2021
And now we have Major League Baseball, where the piped-in synthetic applause from enthusiastic ghost crowds has given confounded viewers the willies — or at least struck some as “intellectually dishonest.”
From Washington Post • Aug. 26, 2020
“What about my dad? Does he give you the germ willies too?”
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
