I'll be

interjection

Expressing surprise.

“Johnny passed his exams despite not heeding your advice to study hard. Well, I'll be!”

Similar
wow
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Meanings

interjectionI'll be!
  1. idiomaticExpressing surprise.

    Johnny passed his exams despite not heeding your advice to study hard. Well, I'll be!

    Synonyms: wow

Synonyms & antonyms

interjectionExpressing surprise.

Similar
wow
Also see
dip me in honey and throw me to the lesbianswell, to be surewow

Origin

Presumably short for I'll be damned via anapodoton.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

I'll be. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'll%20be

MLA

“I'll be.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'll%20be. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “I'll be,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/I'll%20be.

Source: I'll be on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.