Meanings
phrase
- datedimperativeGranting permission for a person to do whatever they want.
Do what you will; I wash my hands of it all.
- datedsubjunctiveExpressing that an outcome will not depend on what the person does.
Do what you will, you'll never be able to wash all of this sticky gunk out of the crevices.
Origin
- Old Englishþæt þū dōn wilt, þæs þe þū wille
- Middle Englishdo what thou wilt
- Englishdo what you will
From Middle English do what thou wilt, from Old English þæt þū dōn wilt, þæs þe þū wille.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
do what you will. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20what%20you%20will
MLA
“do what you will.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20what%20you%20will. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “do what you will,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/do%20what%20you%20will.
Source: do what you will on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.