willies

American

[wil-eez] / ˈwɪl iz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

Usually the willies nervousness or fright; the jitters; the creeps.

That horror movie gave me the willies.

willies British

/ ˈwɪlɪz /

plural noun

slang nervousness, jitters, or fright (esp in the phrase give ( or get ) the willies )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

willies Idioms

see under the creeps.

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

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

Using conventional wisdom, the Cardinals were not supposed to risk the first pick in the 2019 draft on the 5-foot-10 Kyler Murray, the type of undersized scrambler who gives old-school football types the willies.

From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2021

He has happily embraced a form of mass-market fame that gives so many in the fashion industry the willies.

From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2020

There’s this wicked glint in her eye that gives me the willies.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023