with a will

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with a will

/ˌwɪθ‿ə ˈwɪl/ US, UK

Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

From with + a + will (“firmity of purpose, fixity of intent”), originally often used to refer to rowing a boat vigorously.

phrase

dated, idiomatic With willingness and zeal; with all one's heart or strength; earnestly, heartily. «Yes!» muttered the Rover, with bitter irony, as his boat rowed under the stern of the cruiser of the Crown; «yes! I, and my officers, will taste of your banquet! But the viands shall be such as these hirelings of the King shall little relish!—Pull with a will, my men, pull; in an hour, you shall ru
Similar: resolutely

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MLA

"with a will." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20will. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

with a will. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20will

Chicago

"with a will." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20will.

BibTeX

@misc{with_a_will_2026,
  title = {with a will},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/with%20a%20will},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}