will

participle present willing · past would · first person past singular would · archaic present second person singular wilt · archaic present second person singular willst · archaic present second person singular willest · past second person singular would · archaic past second person singular wouldst · archaic past second person singular wouldest · past singular third person would · past plural would · past subjunctive would · alternative contraction 'll · alternative pronunciation spelling vill · alternative pronunciation spelling weel · alternative obsolete wil

1. auxiliaryno past participleUsed to express the future tense, sometimes with an implication of volition or determination when used in the first person. Compare shall.First known use 10th c.

   Do not forget, will you?

   5 more examples

   Will you be doing the shopping this evening? If so, will you do mine too, please?

   Won't you have another glass of wine? — No, I think I’ll go to bed.

   Can somebody lend me a hand? — I will.

   I'm going to quit smoking. I really will!

   The President will arrive at 10.00 — Will she be wanting lunch?

2. auxiliaryno past participleTo be able to, to have the capacity to.First known use 14th c.

   Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand.

3. auxiliaryno past participleExpressing a present tense or perfect tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".First known use 15th c.

   I’ll kill anybody who touches my car.

   4 more examples

   He will be home by now. He always gets home before 6 o'clock.

   I can't find my umbrella. I will've left it at home this morning.

   “That will be five zloty.” I reached into my pocket and came up with some coins.

   2007, Edward Jesko, The Polish

   Unless she diverted on the ten minute walk home, she’ll have got home at about half past.

   2012, Penny Freedman, All The Daughters

4. auxiliaryno past participleTo habitually do (a given action).First known use 9th c.

   People will talk.

   5 more examples

   Boys will be boys.

   I will fall in love with the wrong women time and again.

   The shapes of clouds will often remind us of animals.

   Most nights I'll read a little before going to sleep.

   But which of you hauing a seruant plowing, or feeding cattell, will say vnto him by & by when he is come from the field, Goe and sit downe to meate? And will not rather say vnto him, Make ready wherewith I may suppe, and gird thy selfe, and serue me, till I haue eaten and drunken: and afterward thou shalt eate and drinke.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 17:7–8

5. auxiliaryno past participleTo choose or agree to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations, often in questions and negation.First known use 10th c.

   Will you marry me?

   2 more examples

   What will you drink?

   I’ve told him three times, but he won’t take his medicine.

6. literaryno past participletransitiveuncommonTo wish, desire (something).First known use chiefly 9th–19th c.

   God willed it.

   5 more examples

   Do what you will.

   If thou wilt fare well at meat and meal, come and follow me.

   c. 1450, The Macro Plays

   Twelfe Night, Or what you will (original spelling)

   1601, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, or What You Will

   And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 8:2

   Grant what Thou dost command, and command what Thou wilt.

   1944, St. Augustine, translated by FJ Sheed, Confessions

7. archaicintransitiveno past participleTo wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).First known use 9th–19th c.

   Consider, if you will, the possibility that the sherry glasses were misplaced accidentally.

   2 more examples

   the disciples cam to Jesus sayinge unto hym: where wylt thou that we prepare for the to eate the ester lambe?

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew

   see God's goodwill toward men, hear how generally his grace is proposed, to him, and him, and them, each man in particular, and to all. 1 Tim. ii. 4. "God will that all men be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth."

   1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC

8. archaicno past participleImplying will go.

   I’ll to England.

   c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

plural wills · alternative obsolete wille

1. One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.First known use 9th c.

   Of course, man's will is often regulated by his reason.

2. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.First known use 10th c.

   Most creatures have a will to live.

   2 more examples

   The father chose the name and could change it later at his will.

   1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xiii

   The episode’s unwillingness to fully commit to the pathos of the Bart-and-Laura subplot is all the more frustrating considering its laugh quota is more than filled by a rollicking B-story that finds Homer, he of the iron stomach and insatiable appetite, filing a lawsuit against The Frying Dutchman when he’s hauled out of the eatery against his will after consuming all of the restaurant’s shrimp (plus two plastic lobsters).

   2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club

3. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.First known use 9th c.

   Eventually I submitted to my parents' will.

   1 more example

   In the first place, although many people wanted nationalisation and it became the will of Parliament, there were many other people who did not want it, have never willingly accepted it, and never will.

   1958 January 28, 'Borderer', “Ten Years of British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 12

4. Firmness of purpose, fixity of intent

   ...surely the link could not have been with Churchill the brilliant, gallant and steadfast wartime leader who, by dint of character, will and language, turned near defeat into victory.

   2015, Dr. Harlan K. Ullman, Huffington Post 31 May 2015., "Winston Spencer Ghani"

   Synonyms: determination, firmness, resoluteness, resolve

5. lawA formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes.First known use 14th c.

   “Uncle Barnaby was always father and mother to me,” Benson broke in; then after a pause his mind flew off at a tangent. “Is old Hannah all right—in the will, I mean?”

   1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 1, in Well Tackled!

   Synonyms: testament, last will, last will and testament

6. archaicThat which is desired; one's wish.First known use 10th c.

   I auow by this most sacred head / Of my deare foster child, to ease thy griefe, / And win thy will [...].

   1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

7. archaicDesire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)First known use 9th c.

   He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

present singular third person wills · participle present willing · participle past willed · past willed · participle past rare would · past rare would

1. intransitivetransitiveTo instruct (that something be done) in one's will.First known use 9th c.
2. transitiveTo bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).First known use 15th c.

   He willed his stamp collection to the local museum.

   Synonyms: bequeath, leave

3. transitiveTo exert one's force of will (intention) in order to compel, or attempt to compel, something to happen or someone to do something.First known use 10th c.

   Her parents were watching her run, willing her on.

   4 more examples

   All the fans were willing their team to win the game.

   They willed me say so, madam.

   1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]

   Send for music, / And will the cooks to use their best of cunning / To please the palate.

   c. 1612–1615?, John Fletcher, Francis Beaumont, revised by Philip Massinger, “Loves Cure or, The Martial Maid”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii

   The white feminist and white gay movement have willed themselves ignorant of black feminist and black gay experiences.

   1986, Daniel Garrett, “Creating Ourselves: An Open Letter”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 102

1. A diminutive of the male given name William or, less often, other given names beginning with Wil-, such as Wilfred or Willard, from the Germanic languages; also used as a formal given name.

   Make but my name thy loue, and loue that ſtill, / And then thou loueſt me for my name is Will.

   1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 136”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC, signature I, recto

   3 more examples

   One of his neighbours opposite, a nice old guy with a stoop and a horrible little Yorkshire terrier, called him Bill - always had done and presumably always would, right up till the day he died. It actually irritated Will, who was not, he felt, by any stretch of the imagination, a Bill. Bill wouldn't smoke spliffs and listen to Nirvana. So why had he allowed this misapprehension to continue? Why hadn't he just said, four years ago, "Actually my name is Will"?

   1998, Nick Hornby, About A Boy, Victor Gollancz, published 1998, →ISBN, page 208

   Jada Pinkett Smith found herself at the center of conflict when her husband Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony March 27. Rock joked about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head – a look she has said is more than a style preference.

   2022 June 1, Kristen Rogers, “What causes alopecia, a ‘devastating’ hair loss condition affecting Jada Pinkett Smith”, in CNN

   Will Stancil was a relatively anonymous researcher at the University of Minnesota until he forced his way into circles of intellectual and political elites on Twitter during the Biden reelection campaign.

   2025 January 9, Adam Platt, “In Conversation with Will Stancil”, in Mpls.St.Paul, archived from the original on 11 Jan 2025

2. A diminutive of the female given name Willow.
3. A surname originating as a patronymic.

plural Wills

1. American footballA weak-side linebacker.

   Will linebacker drops to turn-in, QB dropping dumps the ball off to HB.

   1997, F Henderson, M Olson, Football's West Coast Offense, page 7

   1 more example

   Our Will linebacker, because he is away from the formation or to the split end, should be a great pursuit man and pass defender. Will covers the back side hook zone on the weak side.

   2000, American Football Coaches Association, Defensive Football Strategies, page 25