willy
noun
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willy
1 American
[wil-ee]
/ ˈwɪl i /
Or
willey
noun
-
willies
plural
verb (used with object)
willied,
willying
willy
2
American
[wil-ee]
/ ˈwɪl i /
noun
Chiefly British Slang.
-
willies
plural
Willy
3
American
[wil-ee]
/ ˈwɪl i /
willy
British
/ ˈwɪlɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of willy1
First recorded in 1825–35; special use of dialect willy, Old English wilige “basket” (originally one made of willow twigs); akin to willow
Origin of willy2
First recorded in 1900–05; possibly from Willy ( def. )
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:
Consider buddleboy, bogeyman, bumboat man, flirter, higgler, pugger, muffleman, quarrel picker, spittle-maker, whiff-maker and willy man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Maybe the next time we see them all, W. will be giving Obama a wet willy at Trump’s second inauguration.
From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2025
For a while, companies like Apple wouldn’t let app developers run all willy nilly with the power to request our attention at any moment of the day.
From The Verge ● Aug. 5, 2022
Just within a couple of yards of the water’s edge, the species are abundant, the nomenclature mellifluous: buttercup, foxglove, leopard’s bane, nipplewort, forget-me-not, large-leaf aven, fringe cup, sticky willy.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2022
We found her unraveling the splendid shroud, and then she had to finish, willy nilly— finish, and show the big loom woven tight from beam to beam with cloth.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
“Those are my lungs. Willy has the video!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Formerly the proud owner of three Great Danes, Herman now spends about two hours a day at the dog park to tire out his rescued Jack Russell mix, Willy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
He said: "I started on Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and now Wonka's The Golden Ticket is my swan song. I've just ended my career on Willy Wonka. Isn't that wonderful?"
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Willy Bermello, 75, the architect who designed the proposed Trump library in Miami, has his eye on remaking Cuba’s airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
And as he flew past Mr. Willy Wonka’s factory, he turned and waved at it and sang out, “I’ll be seeing you! I’ll be seeing you soon!”
From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
In theory, I agree with her, but the idea of sending anything that could be construed as offensive to another mother still gives me the willies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The veg sandwich, in which a salty and steroidal oyster mushroom subs for the bird, just gives me the willies.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 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
You can easily call it quits if it rains or if someone gets a sudden, intractable case of the willies.
From New York Times ● May 15, 2020
The thought of going out there gave me the willies.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
