will
Forms
- present (v1)
- will
- past (v2)
- would
- past participle (v3)
- willed
- present participle
- willing
- 3rd person singular
- will
- Plural
- wills
Definitions
1.Used to express the future tense, sometimes with an implication of volition or determination when used in the first person. Compare shall.
- I'll hold that for you, shall I?
- I said I’d help, and help I will.
- Can somebody lend me a hand?, I will.
2.To be able to, to have the capacity to.
- Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand.
3.To habitually do (a given action).
- The shapes of clouds will often remind us of animals.
- Most nights I'll read a little before going to sleep.
- I will fall in love with the wrong women time and again.
4.Expressing a present tense or perfect tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".
- I’ll kill anybody who touches my car.
- 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.
1.One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.
- 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.
- Most creatures have a will to live.
- The father chose the name and could change it later at his will.
3.One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.
- Eventually I submitted to my parents' will.
- 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.
4.Firmness of purpose, fixity of intent
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #47
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Very common
- General reading & writing
- Very common
- Academic
- Uncommon
- Literature
- Uncommon
Related words
Etymology
From Middle English willen, wullen, wollen, from Old English willan (“to want”), from Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”).
Cognates