Definition of "will"

will¹

/wɪl/

verb
third-person singular simple present will, present participle willing, simple past would, no past participle
1. (auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall.
  Quotations
  Good fool, as ever thou wilt deserve well at my hand, help me to a candle, and pen, ink and paper : as I am a gentleman, I will live to be thankful to thee for’t.
  c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]
  “I will, with your leave, relate to you, miss, the story of one of our customers.”
  1859, Charles Dickens, chapter 4, in A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […]
2. (auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to.
3. (auxiliary) Expressing a present tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".
  Quotations
  “That will be five zloty.” I reached into my pocket and came up with some coins.
  2007, Edward Jesko, The Polish
  Unless she diverted on the ten minute walk home, she’ll have got home at about half past.
  2012, Penny Freedman, All The Daughters
4. (auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action).
  Quotations
  But which of you hauing a seruant plowing, or feeding cattell, will say vnto him by & by when he is come from the field, Goe and sit downe to meate? And will not rather say vnto him, Make ready wherewith I may suppe, and gird thy selfe, and serue me, till I haue eaten and drunken: and afterward thou shalt eate and drinke.(reflecting similar usage of future in the Greek)
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Luke 17:7–8
  As young men will, I did my best to appear suave and sophisticated.
  1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus, published 2010, page 28
  How telling is it that many women will volunteer for temporary disablement by wearing high heeled shoes that hobble them?
  2009, Stephen Bayley, The Telegraph, 24 Sep 09
  So far neither side has scored a decisive victory, though each will occasionally claim one.
  2011, “Connubial bliss in America”, in The Economist
5. (auxiliary) To choose or agree to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive), often in questions and negation.
6. (now uncommon or literary, transitive) To wish, desire (something).
  Quotations
  If thou wilt fare well at meat and meal, come and follow me.
  c. 1450, The Macro Plays
  Twelfe Night, Or what you will (original spelling)
  1601, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, or What You Will
  And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Matthew 8:2
  Grant what Thou dost command, and command what Thou wilt.
  1944, St. Augustine, translated by FJ Sheed, Confessions
7. (now rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).
  Quotations
  the disciples cam to Jesus sayinge unto hym: where wylt thou that we prepare for the to eate the ester lambe?
  1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], Matthew ]
  see God's goodwill toward men, hear how generally his grace is proposed, to him, and him, and them, each man in particular, and to all. 1 Tim. ii. 4. "God will that all men be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth."
  1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps
8. (archaic) Implying will go.
  Quotations
  I’ll to England.
  c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

will²

/wɪl/

noun
plural wills
1. One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.
2. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.
  Quotations
  The episode’s unwillingness to fully commit to the pathos of the Bart-and-Laura subplot is all the more frustrating considering its laugh quota is more than filled by a rollicking B-story that finds Homer, he of the iron stomach and insatiable appetite, filing a lawsuit against The Frying Dutchman when he’s hauled out of the eatery against his will after consuming all of the restaurant’s shrimp (plus two plastic lobsters).
  2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club‎
3. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.
4. Firmity of purpose, fixity of intent
5. (law) A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes.
  Quotations
  “Uncle Barnaby was always father and mother to me,” Benson broke in; then after a pause his mind flew off at a tangent. “Is old Hannah all right—in the will, I mean?”
  1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 1, in Well Tackled!‎
6. (archaic) That which is desired; one's wish.
  Quotations
  I auow by this most sacred head / Of my deare foster child, to ease thy griefe, / And win thy will [...].
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie
7. (archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)

will³

/wɪl/

verb
third-person singular simple present wills, present participle willing, simple past and past participle willed or (rare) would
1. (transitive, intransitive) To instruct (that something be done) in one's will.
2. (transitive) To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).
3. (transitive) To exert one's force of will (intention) in order to compel, or attempt to compel, something to happen or someone to do something.
  Quotations
  They willed me say so, madam.
  1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i]
  Send for music, / And will the cooks to use their best of cunning / To please the palate.
  c. 1612–1615?, John Fletcher, Francis Beaumont, revised by Philip Massinger, “Loves Cure or, The Martial Maid”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, Act I, scene ii

Definition of "will"

will1

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will2

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will3

verb

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will¹

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will³