Will vs. Well: What’s the Difference?

  • Will (verb)

    To wish, desire (something). 9th-18th c.

    “Do what you will.”

  • Will (verb)

    To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). 9th-19th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To habitually do (a given action). from 9th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To choose to (do something), used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive). from 10th c.

  • Will (verb)

    Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall. from 10th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To be able to, to have the capacity to. from 14th c.

    “Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand.”

  • Will (verb)

    To wish, desire. 9th–19th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To instruct (that something be done) in one’s will. from 9th c.

  • Will (verb)

    To try to make (something) happen by using one’s will (intention). from 10th c.

    “All the fans were willing their team to win the game.”

  • Will (verb)

    To bequeath (something) to someone in one’s will (legal document). from 15th c.

    “He willed his stamp collection to the local museum.”

  • Will (noun)

    One’s independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one’s choice or intention. from 9th c.

    “Of course, man’s will is often regulated by his reason.”

  • Will (noun)

    One’s intention or decision; someone’s orders or commands. from 9th c.

    “Eventually I submitted to my parents’ will.”

  • Will (noun)

    The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition. from 10th c.

    “Most creatures have a will to live.”

  • Will (noun)

    A formal declaration of one’s intent concerning the disposal of one’s property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes. from 14th c.

  • Will (noun)

    That which is desired; one’s wish. from 10th c.

  • Will (noun)

    Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.) from 9th c.

    “He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.”

  • Well (adverb)

    Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.

    “He does his job well.”

  • Well (adverb)

    Completely, fully.

    “a well done steak”

    “We’re well beat now.”

  • Well (adverb)

    To a significant degree.

    “That author is well known.”

  • Well (adverb)

    Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).

  • Well (adverb)

    In a desirable manner; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously.

  • Well (adjective)

    In good health.

    “I had been sick, but now I’m well.”

  • Well (adjective)

    Good, content.

    ““How are you?” — “I’m well, thank you!””

  • Well (adjective)

    Prudent; good; well-advised.

  • Well (interjection)

    Used to acknowledge a statement or situation.

    ““The car is broken.” “Well, we could walk to the movies instead.””

    ““I didn’t like the music.” “Well, I thought it was good.””

    ““I forgot to pack the tent! Well, I guess we’re sleeping under the stars tonight.””

  • Well (interjection)

    An exclamation of surprise, often doubled or tripled.

    “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

  • Well (interjection)

    An exclamation of indignance.

    “Well! There was no need to say that in front of my mother!”

  • Well (interjection)

    Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.

    “It was a bit… well… too loud.”

  • Well (interjection)

    Used in speech to fill gaps; filled pause.

    ““So what have you been doing?” “Well, we went for a picnic, and then it started raining so we came home early.””

  • Well (interjection)

    Used as a greeting

    “Well lads. How’s things?”

  • Well (noun)

    A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.

  • Well (noun)

    A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring.

  • Well (noun)

    A small depression suitable for holding liquid or other objects.

    “Make a well in the dough mixture and pour in the milk.”

  • Well (noun)

    A source of supply.

  • Well (noun)

    A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.

  • Well (noun)

    The cockpit of a sailboat.

  • Well (noun)

    A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.

  • Well (noun)

    A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water.

  • Well (noun)

    A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.

  • Well (noun)

    An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.

  • Well (noun)

    The open space between the bench and the counsel tables in a courtroom.

  • Well (noun)

    The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.

  • Well (noun)

    A well drink.

    “They’re having a special tonight: $1 wells.”

  • Well (noun)

    The playfield of Tetris and similar video games, into which the blocks fall.

  • Well (noun)

    In a microtiter plate, each of the small equal circular or square sections which serve as test tubes.

  • Well (verb)

    To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.

  • Well (verb)

    To have something seep out of the surface.

    “Her eyes welled with tears.”

Wiktionary

ncG1vNJzZmilkZ67pbXFn5yrnZ6Ysm%2B6xK1msKGcoXq3v4ywnKWkXw%3D%3D