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will
1[ wil ]
/ wɪl /
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auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person will,2nd will or (Archaic) wilt,3rd will,present plural will;past singular 1st person would,2nd would or (Archaic) wouldst,3rd would,past plural would;past participle (Obsolete) wold or would;imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.
verb (used with or without object), present singular 1st person will,2nd will or (Archaic) wilt,3rd will,present plural will;past singular 1st person would,2nd would or (Archaic) wouldst,3rd would,past plural would;past participle (Obsolete) wold or would;imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.
to wish; desire; like: Go where you will.Ask, if you will, who the owner is.
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Origin of will
1First recorded before 900; Middle English willen, Old English wyllan; cognate with Dutch willen, German wollen, Old Norse vilja, Gothic wiljan; akin to Latin velle “to wish”
words often confused with will
See shall.
Words nearby will
Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes Land, Wilkins, Wilkinsburg, Wilkinson, will, Willa, willable, Willaert, Willamette, Willard
Other definitions for will (2 of 3)
will2
[ wil ]
/ wɪl /
noun
verb (used with object), willed, will·ing.
verb (used without object), willed, will·ing.
to exercise the mind or conciousness: To will is not enough, one must do.
to decide or determine: Others debate, but the king wills.
OTHER WORDS FOR will
Origin of will
2First recorded before 900; Middle English noun wil(le), Old English wil(l) “will, pleasure,” will(a) “faculty of willing, determination”; cognate with Dutch wil, German Wille, Old Norse vili, Gothic wilja; verb derivative of the noun; akin to will1
synonym study for will
5. Will, volition refer to conscious choice as to action or thought. Will denotes fixed and persistent intent or purpose: Where there's a will there's a way. Volition is the power of forming an intention or the incentive for using the will: to exercise one's volition in making a decision.
OTHER WORDS FROM will
willer, nounOther definitions for will (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use will in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for will (1 of 2)
will1
/ (wɪl) /
verb past would (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)
Word Origin for will
Old English willan; related to Old Saxon willian, Old Norse vilja, Old High German wollen, Latin velle to wish, will
undefined will
See shall
British Dictionary definitions for will (2 of 2)
will2
/ (wɪl) /
noun
verb (mainly tr; often takes a clause as object or an infinitive)
Derived forms of will
willer, nounWord Origin for will
Old English willa; related to Old Norse vili, Old High German willeo (German Wille), Gothic wilja, Old Slavonic volja
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with will
will
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.