will 1
/wil/ , 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 verb.
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.
10. to wish; desire; like: Go where you will. Ask, if you will, who the owner is.
[ bef. 900; ME willen, OE wyllan; c. D willen, G wollen, ON vilja, Goth wiljan; akin to L velle to wish ]
Usage . See shall .
will 2
— willer , n.
/wil/ , n. , v. , willed, willing .
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.
10. to decide, bring about, or attempt to effect or bring about by an act of the will: He can walk if he wills it.
11. to purpose, determine on, or elect, by an act of will: If he wills success, he can find it.
12. to give or dispose of (property) by a will or testament; bequeath or devise.
13. to influence by exerting will power: She was willed to walk the tightrope by the hypnotist.
v.i.
14. to exercise the will: To will is not enough, one must do.
15. to decide or determine: Others debate, but the king wills.
[ bef. 900; (n.) ME will ( e ), OE will ( a ); c. D wil, G Wille, ON vili, Goth wilja; (v.) ME willen, OE willian to wish, desire, deriv. of the n.; akin to WILL 1 ]
Syn. 3. choice. 4. pleasure, disposition, inclination. 5. resolution, decision. WILL, VOLITION refer to conscious choice as to action or thought. WILL denotes fixed and persistent intent or purpose: Where there's a will there's a way. VOLITION is the power of forming an intention or the incentive for using the will: to exercise one's volition in making a decision. 10. determine. 12. leave.