with a will

Idioms

Vigorously, energetically, as in He started pruning with a will. This term, first recorded in 1848, uses will in the sense of “determination.”

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.

More than 80% of those with a will, trust, healthcare proxy or financial power of attorney said they’d know what to do if a family member died.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Frank McGuire, a Buffalo, N.Y., businessman died with a will in 2020, leaving behind a multimillion-dollar estate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

He left the war with lasting physical and emotional scars and, like such fellow veterans as Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut, with a will to find words for what had happened.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2024

"The fans deserve to have a competitive team with a will to fight. I'll do everything to deserve their support."

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2021

There was no mysticism, no invoking of God, merely a passionate identification of all present with a will to right wrongs.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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