1
2
as in to want
to see fit
do as you will—I wash my hands of the whole affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in restraint
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
she kept her face still by sheer force of will
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in choice
the act or power of making one's own choices or decisions
you cannot force me to do anything against my own will
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of will
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
Even as the home crowd tried to will on the defense, Stafford was able to push Los Angeles down the field.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Nov. 2025
Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
What’s missing is the political will to prioritize transparency and decentralization.
—Deborah L. Birx, STAT, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for will
Verb
From his first moments onscreen in a performance of Duracell Bunny physicality and motormouth pushiness, Chalamet conveys the sense of a shameless young man willing himself toward greatness with a combination of chutzpah, amorality and unshakeable self-belief.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
Even as the home crowd tried to will on the defense, Stafford was able to push Los Angeles down the field.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Nov. 2025
Noun
In a modern world where free will is taken as a given, fate might be best understood as the tangle of powers that facilitate or obstruct individual wills.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
What’s missing is the political will to prioritize transparency and decentralization.
—Deborah L. Birx, STAT, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for will
Recent Examples of Synonyms for will
Verb
-
The departure of Stockton and Warren leaves head coach Spencer Danielson with the task of replacing two secondary coaches.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Members of the Minneapolis City Council, in a joint statement, demanded that ICE leave the city following the shooting.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If that is what Talamasca wants to be, well, what a blessing!—
Lily Osler,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The key to this classic is making sure cook off all the liquid in the summer squash, because no one wants a watery casserole.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The civil suit alleged the restraint lasted eight minutes.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Per state guidelines and Ohio Administrative Code, physical restraint must be used as a last resort and only when there is an immediate risk of physical harm to the student or others.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The best heroes are beloved because their choices — admirable, messy, or otherwise — are hard ones made in service of something greater.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The two were impeccably dressed as Gomez and Morticia Addams, which is a canonically Gay couple costume choice — Lakshmi, as Morticia, was holding scissors in one of the posts, for crying out loud.—
James Factora,
Them.,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Effectively, Newsom’s slow roll protects him from taking any meaningful actions, thus bequeathing reparations to his successor, like his many other unresolved California issues.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
-
There are also wooden pews made for the school’s Bond Chapel and 72,000 glass slides from the art-history department, all of which were bequeathed to Gates over the years.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There’s always someone around the corner who’s eager to please you.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Total Wine & More’s 2025 advent calendar of wine features varietals from all over the world that are sure to please even the pickiest oenophile.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Like her unprecedented sapphire engagement ring, her wedding tiara represented a determination to stay true to herself.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Here in California, our determination to defend our own laws, to hold fast to climate protections and civil rights, felt no longer like partisanship but survival.—
Jonathan Taplin,
Rolling Stone,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But, where Grace walks under her own free will with a knife, Pam's shotgun-toting strolls occur only in her sleep.—
Mike Miller,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Lyra’s quest to understand Dust brings her into confrontation with human and other worldly forces who champion moral absolutism over imagination, ignorance over knowledge, authoritarianism over free will and cold, disinterested rationality over empathy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Will.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/will. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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