Dictionary
will
Pronunciation: (wil), [key]
—auxiliary v. and
—v., pres. sing. 1st pers. will,
—2nd will or ( Archaic ) wilt,
—3rd will,
—pres. pl. will;
—past sing. 1st pers. would,
—2nd would or ( Archaic ) wouldst,
—3rd would,
—past pl. would;
—past part. (Obs.) wold or would;
—imperative, infinitive, and pres. participle lacking.
—
auxiliary v.
1. am (is, are, etc.) about or going to:
I will be there tomorrow. She will see you at dinner.
2. am (is, are, etc.) disposed or willing to:
People will do right.
3. am (is, are, etc.) expected or required to:
You will report to the principal at once.
4. may be expected or supposed to:
You will not have forgotten him. This will be right.
5. am (is, are, etc.) determined or sure to (used emphatically):
You would do it. People will talk.
6. am (is, are, etc.) accustomed to, or do usually or often:
You will often see her sitting there. He would write for hours at a time.
7. am (is, are, etc.) habitually disposed or inclined to:
Boys will be boys. After dinner they would read aloud.
8. am (is, are, etc.) capable of; can:
This tree will live without water for three months.
9. am (is, are, etc.) going to:
I will bid you “Good night.”
—
v.t., v.i.
to wish; desire; like:
Go where you will. Ask, if you will, who the owner is. will
Pronunciation: (wil), [key]
—n., v., willed, will•ing.
—
n.
1. the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions:
the freedom of the will.
2. power of choosing one's own actions:
to have a strong or a weak will.
3. the act or process of using or asserting one's choice; volition:
My hands are obedient to my will.
4. wish or desire:
to submit against one's will.
5. purpose or determination, often hearty or stubborn determination; willfulness:
to have the will to succeed.
6. the wish or purpose as carried out, or to be carried out:
to work one's will.
7. disposition, whether good or ill, toward another.
8. Law.
a. a legal declaration of a person's wishes as to the disposition of his or her property or estate after death, usually written and signed by the testator and attested by witnesses.
b. the document containing such a declaration.
9. at will,
a. at one's discretion or pleasure; as one desires:
to wander at will through the countryside.
b. at one's disposal or command.
—
v.t.
1. to decide, bring about, or attempt to effect or bring about by an act of the will:
He can walk if he wills it.
2. to purpose, determine on, or elect, by an act of will:
If he wills success, he can find it.
3. to give or dispose of (property) by a will or testament; bequeath or devise.
4. to influence by exerting will power:
She was willed to walk the tightrope by the hypnotist.
—
v.i.
1. to exercise the will:
To will is not enough, one must do.
2. to decide or determine:
Others debate, but the king wills. Will
Pronunciation: (wil), [key]—
n.
a male given name, form of
William. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
