Meanings
- USidiomaticinformalBarring unforeseen circumstances.
Near-synonym: hopefully (sentence adverbial sense)
1 more example
Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll have that new barn finished in time for the harvest.
Synonyms: God willing and the creek don't rise, Lord willing, God willing, more at Thesaurus:God forbid § Antonyms, hopefully · Antonyms: hell no, God forbid
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseBarring unforeseen circumstances.
Origin
Statements of the form "God/Lord willing and (some other condition being met)" are ancient extensions of simple acceptance of God's will in phrases like God willing and Lord willing. "Creek" originated as a reference to creeks flooding and preventing travel, but is sometimes re-interpreted as a reference to the Creek tribe.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch ijs en weder dienende, bij leven en welzijn
- ijs en weder dienendephrase
- bij leven en welzijnphrase
Finnish jos Luoja suo
- jos Luoja suophrase
Polish jak Bóg pozwoli
- jak Bóg pozwoliphrase
Cite this entry
Lord willing and the creek don't rise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20willing%20and%20the%20creek%20don't%20rise
“Lord willing and the creek don't rise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20willing%20and%20the%20creek%20don't%20rise. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lord willing and the creek don't rise,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20willing%20and%20the%20creek%20don't%20rise.
Source: Lord willing and the creek don't rise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.