[shall] vb, past should pres sing & pl shall [ME shal (1st & 3d sing. pres. indic.), fr. OE sceal; akin to OHG scal (1st & 3d sing. pres. indic.) ought to, must, Lith skola debt] verbal auxiliary (bef. 12c) 1 archaic a: will have to: must b: will be able to: can
2. a--used to express a command or exhortation "you ~ go" b--used in laws, regulations, or directives to express what is mandatory "it ~ be unlawful to carry firearms" 3 a--used to express what is inevitable or seems likely to happen in the future "we ~ have to be ready" "we ~ see" b--used to express simple futurity "when ~ we expect you" 4--used to express determination "they ~ not pass" ~ vi, archaic: will go "he to England ~ along with you --Shak." usage From the reams of pronouncements written about the distinction between shall and will--dating back as far as the 17th century--it is clear that the rules laid down have never very accurately reflected actual usage. The nationalistic statements of 18th and 19th century British grammarians, who commonly cited the misuses of the Irish, the Scots, and occas. the Americans, suggest that the traditional rules may have come closest to the usage of southern England. Some modern commentators believe that English usage is still the closest to the traditionally prescribed norms. Most modern commentators allow that will is more common in nearly all uses. The entries for shall and will in this dictionary show current usage.