will
auxiliary verb
am (is, are, etc.) about or going to.
will
1 American
[wil]
/ wɪl /
auxiliary verb
imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.
-
will,
present (3rd person singular)
-
would
past
-
am (is, are, etc.) about or going to.
I will be there tomorrow. She will see you at dinner.
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am (is, are, etc.) disposed or willing to.
People will do right.
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am (is, are, etc.) expected or required to.
You will report to the principal at once.
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may be expected or supposed to.
You will not have forgotten him. This will be right.
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am (is, are, etc.) determined or sure to (used emphatically).
You would do it. People will talk.
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am (is, are, etc.) accustomed to, or do usually or often.
You will often see her sitting there. He would write for hours at a time.
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am (is, are, etc.) habitually disposed or inclined to.
Boys will be boys. After dinner they would read aloud.
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am (is, are, etc.) capable of; can.
This tree will live without water for three months.
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am (is, are, etc.) going to.
I will bid you “Good night.”
verb (used with or without object)
imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.
-
will,
present (3rd person singular)
-
would
past, past participle (Obsolete)
will
2
American
[wil]
/ wɪl /
noun
-
wills
plural
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the faculty of conscious and deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over one's actions.
The teacher has chosen by her own will to create a whole new curriculum.
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power in choosing one's own actions.
A major factor in success is whether you have have a strong or a weak will.
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the act or process of using or asserting one's choice; volition.
My hands are obedient to my will.
- Synonyms:
- choice
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wish or desire.
We submit, but it's against our will.
- Synonyms:
- inclination, disposition, pleasure
-
purpose or determination that is often hearty or stubborn; willfulness.
The first step is to have the will to succeed.
- Synonyms:
- resolution
-
the wish or purpose as carried out, or to be carried out.
The queen will work her will.
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disposition, whether good or ill, toward another.
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Law.
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a legal declaration of a person's wishes as to the disposition of their property or estate after death, usually written and signed by the testator and attested by witnesses.
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the document containing a declaration of a person's wishes as to the disposition of their property.
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verb (used with object)
willed,
willing
-
to decide, bring about, or attempt to effect or bring about by an act of the will.
He can make it in this industry if he wills it.
- Synonyms:
- determine
-
to purpose, determine on, or elect, by an act of the mind or consciousness.
If he wills success, he can find it.
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to give or dispose of (property) by a legal declaration or testament; bequeath or devise.
- Synonyms:
- leave
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to influence by exerting control over someone's impulses and actions.
She was willed to walk the tightrope by the hypnotist.
verb (used without object)
willed,
willing
-
to exercise the mind or conciousness.
To will is not enough, one must do.
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to decide or determine.
Others debate, but the king wills.
idioms
Will
3
American
[wil]
/ wɪl /
noun
will
1
British
/ wɪl /
noun
-
the faculty of conscious and deliberate choice of action; volition
-
the act or an instance of asserting a choice
-
-
the declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property after death
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a revocable instrument by which such wishes are expressed
-
-
anything decided upon or chosen, esp by a person in authority; desire; wish
-
determined intention
where there's a will there's a way
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disposition or attitude towards others
he bears you no ill will
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at one's own desire, inclination, or choice
-
heartily; energetically
-
even with the best of intentions
verb
-
(also intr) to exercise the faculty of volition in an attempt to accomplish (something)
he willed his wife's recovery from her illness
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to give (property) by will to a person, society, etc
he willed his art collection to the nation
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(also intr) to order or decree
the king wills that you shall die
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to choose or prefer
wander where you will
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to yearn for or desire
to will that one's friends be happy
will
2
British
/ wɪl /
verb
-
used as an auxiliary to make the future tense Compare shall
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used as an auxiliary to express resolution on the part of the speaker
I will buy that radio if it's the last thing I do
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used as an auxiliary to indicate willingness or desire
will you help me with this problem?
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used as an auxiliary to express compulsion, as in commands
you will report your findings to me tomorrow
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used as an auxiliary to express capacity or ability
this rope will support a load
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used as an auxiliary to express probability or expectation on the part of the speaker
that will be Jim telephoning
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used as an auxiliary to express customary practice or inevitability
boys will be boys
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(with the infinitive always implied) used as an auxiliary to express desire: usually in polite requests
stay if you will
-
whatever you like
-
informal a declaration of willingness to do what is requested
will
More Idioms
Commonly Confused
See shall.
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
Past
Etymology
Origin of will1
First 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”
Origin of will2
First 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 will 1
Explanation
Will means to want or to choose. If you have free will, you are allowed to choose what you want. If you make a will, you've write down what you want to have happen to your money and your stuff. You may have heard the expression, "Where there's a will, there's a way." It means that if you want something enough, you'll find a way to make it happen. If you impose your will on someone else, you're making them do what you want, as opposed to what they want. If you are willful, you are impulsive and always do what you want. If you will something to happen, you try to make it happen just by the force of your wanting it to––you might will a car to keep running, even as the gas needle sits at empty.
Vocabulary lists containing will
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
The character will be recast for Season 2 of HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ TV show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“On this album, I will say my vocals are probably louder than they’ve been on any record I’ve been a part of,” Dulli told Salon.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
Should the 56-year-old Swiss be successful, by the end of the term in 2031, his tenure will have been extended to 15 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Gracie Cochrane will depart from her role as Ginny Weasley due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Someday I hope you will come to our lovely country,” she writes.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Will the survivor’s filing status change from married filing jointly to single, potentially pushing them into higher tax brackets?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Will there be additional tax returns or other tax obligations that need to be handled after I die?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Will Harry, who served in Afghanistan, be offered a role in the Remembrance Sunday events for fallen soldiers this November?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Will there be invitations extended to the Sussex family?
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I’ll eat if Will cooked. You can’t make a ‘fine’ anything, George.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Unlike formal wills, you do not need witnesses to watch you sign it.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Our wills state that, after both of our deaths, these items are to be sold after our children have had the opportunity to address any sentimental belongings.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Other important information to assemble: deeds, wills, insurance policies, passwords.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Some of Amelia's friends have been so spooked by her experience, they have since taken out wills and life insurance.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
He only said “Heaven wills it,” and he accepted flood and drought with meekness.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
He’s somehow both understated — he’s not showboating, even when he would be entitled to — and authoritative.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
It would take a huge offer to persuade them otherwise and Manchester United's powerbrokers have proved on numerous occasions this summer they will not be held to ransom, or overpay, for players.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The government announced last week that reception centres would be created for 1,800 migrants.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
“We would use compute optionality as a reason to own the AI infrastructure play in Meta, but we would not underwrite a ‘full blown’ hyperscaler compute annuity stream,” Mahaney wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Head west, Midnight. That’s where Father and Caesar would want us to go. West.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Z, international man of mystery, exists because Oliver willed him into being during a March shoutout on “Last Week Tonight.”
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
He's very strong willed and that's his decision.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
On a night when his teammates struggled offensively, Brunson willed the Knicks to the series clinching victory, another gritty come-from-behind victory for a team that has made them a trademark.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
For St. Augustine, desire was the bondage of the divided self, which willed the good but somehow willed more strongly not to do it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
I willed them to move, but my conscience noosed around my ankles and pulled down hard.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
While Heyward would marvel at how close Freeman was willing to cut it, Freeman would give Heyward grief for how long he’d take to get ready.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Is the U.S. willing to climb the sanctions ladder, proceeding from those small refineries to target the Chinese state-owned banks and other institutions that sustain them?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
What kind of spendthrift picks a completely needless fight with one of the last banks in town willing to lend him money?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Green said organisers would investigate whether another Dutch broadcaster might be willing to participate in the contest.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
I bury my face in Belle’s rough coat, willing myself not to cry.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
