will
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will (wil)
noun
- the power of making a reasoned choice or decision or of controlling one's own actions a man of weak will
- strong and fixed purpose; determination where there's a will there's a way
- energy and enthusiasm to work with a will
- disposition or attitude toward others a man of good will
- the particular desire, purpose, pleasure, choice, etc. of a certain person or group what is your will?
- a compelling command or decree the will of the people
- Law
- the legal statement of a person's wishes concerning the disposal of his or her property after death
- the document containing this
Etymology: ME wille < OE willa, akin to Ger wille, willen < IE base *wel-, to wish, choose > L velle, to wish, voluptas, pleasure
transitive verb
- to have as the object of one's will; desire; want to will another's happiness, to will to survive
- to control or influence by the power of the will to will oneself into an action, to will others into submission
- Law to bequeath by a will
Etymology: ME willien < OE willian < willan, to desire: see will
intransitive verb
- to exert one's will to succeed by willing
- to wish, desire, prefer, or choose to do as one wills
at will
will (wil)
auxiliary verb would
- used to indicate simple future time when will she be able to travel? I will bring the dessert
- used to express determination, compulsion, or obligation you will listen to me, he will have his own way, I will have you know that I was here first
- used to express inclination or inevitability boys will be boys
- used in polite questions will you have some wine?
- used to express habit or customary practice they will talk for hours on end
- used to express expectation or surmise that will be his wife with him, I suppose
- used to express possibility this drawer won't open
Etymology: ME willen < OE willan, to be willing, desire, akin to Ger wollen, will: for IE base see will
transitive verb
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
will
n.
Desire
inclination, wish, disposition, pleasure, yearning, craving, longing, hankering. Antonyms
command*, indifference*, distaste. * Command
order, insistence, decree; see command 1, directions.Conscious power
resolution, volition, intention, will power, preference, mind, determination, self-determination, decisiveness, moral strength, discretion, conviction, willfulness. Antonyms
doubt*, vacillation*, indecision. * Testament for the disposition of property
bequest, disposition, instructions, last wishes, bestowal, dispensation, last will and testament.
will, the more inclusive term here, basically denotes the power of choice and deliberate action or the intention resulting from the exercise of this power freedom of the will, the will to succeed; volition stresses the exercise of the will in making a choice or decision he came of his own volition
at will
will
v.
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Adjective modifier
- other: They help to PLAY THE GAME OF LIFE, instead of being played and moved about by other wills and environment.
Modifies a noun
- anyone: None of my friends will either and, judging from the internet forums, neither will anyone else.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
For by the will of the gods Fate hath held sway since ancient days.
Candida me docuit nigras odisse puellas. Odero si potero. Si non, invitus amabo. A white girl instructed me to hate black girls. I shall hate them if I can. If not, I shall love themöagainst my will.
If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves? as they must be if the being subjected to the inconsistent, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will of men, be the perfect condition of slavery? and if the essence of freedom consists, as our masters say it does, in having a standing rule to live by? And why is slavery so much condemnedandstroveagainst inonecase, andsohighly applauded, and held so necessary and so sacred in another?
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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MLA Style
"will." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/will>
APA Style
will. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/will
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