different between decide vs will

English

Etymology

From Middle English deciden, from Old French decider, from Latin d?c?dere, infinitive of d?c?d? (“cut off, decide”), from d? (“down from”) + caed? (“cut”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d??sa?d/

Verb

decide (third-person singular simple present decides, present participle deciding, simple past and past participle decided)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to resolve (a contest, problem, dispute, etc.); to choose, determine, or settle
2. (intransitive) to make a judgment, especially after deliberation

   • So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

3. (transitive) to cause someone to come to a decision
   • 1920, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Three Gables" (Norton edition, 2005, page 1537),

     It decides me to look into the matter, for if it is worth anyone's while to take so much trouble, there must be something in it.

4. (obsolete) to cut off; to separate
   • 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State and the Profane State

     Our seat denies us traffic here; / The sea, too near, decides us from the rest.

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Synonyms

• make up one's mind
• choose
• determine
• pick

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• de-iced, deiced

Asturian

Verb

decide

1. third-person singular present indicative of decidir

Esperanto

Etymology

From decidi +? -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de?t?side/
• Rhymes: -ide

Adverb

decide

1. decisively
2. decidedly

Interlingua

Verb

decide

1. present of decider
2. imperative of decider

Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ide

Verb

decide

1. third-person singular present indicative of decidere

Anagrams

• decedi

Latin

Verb

d?c?de

1. second-person singular present active imperative of d?c?d?

Middle English

Verb

decide

1. Alternative form of deciden

Portuguese

Verb

decide

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of decidir
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of decidir

Romanian

Etymology

From French décider, from Latin d?c?d?.

Verb

a decide (third-person singular present decide, past participle decis) 3rd conj.

1. to decide

   Synonym: hot?rî

Conjugation

Related terms

• decizie

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /de??ide/, [d?e??i.ð?e]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /de?side/, [d?e?si.ð?e]

Verb

decide

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of decidir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of decidir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of decidir.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /w?l/, [w??]
• Rhymes: -?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English willen, wullen, wollen, from Old English willan (“to want”), from Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljan?, from Proto-Indo-European *welh?- (“to choose, wish”).

Cognate with Dutch willen, Low German willen, German wollen, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk vilja, Norwegian Bokmål ville, Latin velle (“wish”, verb) and Albanian vel (“to satisfy, be stuffed”). The verb is not always distinguishable from Etymology 3, below.

Alternative forms

• vill, weel (pronunciation spelling)
• wil, wille, woll, wyll (obsolete)

Verb

will (third-person singular simple present will, present participle willing, simple past would, no past participle)

1. (now uncommon or literary, transitive) To wish, desire (something). [chiefly 9th-19th c.]
   • And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

   • 1944, FJ Sheed, translating St. Augustine, Confessions:

     Grant what Thou dost command, and command what Thou wilt.

2. (now rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). [9th-19th c.]
   • c. 1450, The Macro Plays:

     If thou wilt fare well at meat and meal, come and follow me.

   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew XXVI:

     the disciples cam to Jesus sayinge unto hym: where wylt thou that we prepare for the to eate the ester lambe?

   • 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."

3. (auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action). [from 9th c.]
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, page 28:

     As young men will, I did my best to appear suave and sophisticated.

   • 2009, Stephen Bayley, The Telegraph, 24 Sep 09:

     How telling is it that many women will volunteer for temporary disablement by wearing high heeled shoes that hobble them?

   • 2011, "Connubial bliss in America", The Economist:

     So far neither side has scored a decisive victory, though each will occasionally claim one.

4. (auxiliary) To choose to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive), often in questions and negation. [from 10th c.]

5. (auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall. [from 10th c.]
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, act IV:

     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.

   • 1845, Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo, chapter LXXIII:

     “I will go to you, and we will fly; but from this moment until then, let us not tempt Providence, let us not see each other. It is a miracle, it is a providence that we have not been discovered. If we were surprised, if it were known that we met thus, we should have no further resource.”

6. (auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to. [from 14th c.]

7. (auxiliary) Expressing a present tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference". [from 15th c.]
   • 2007, Edward Jesko, The Polish:

     “That will be five zloty.” I reached into my pocket and came up with some coins.

   • 2012, Penny Freedman, All The Daughters:

     Unless she diverted on the ten minute walk home, she’ll have got home at about half past.

8. (archaic) To go.
   • c. 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth

     I’ll to England.

Usage notes

• Historically, will was used in the simple future sense only in the second and third person, while shall was used in the first person. Today, that distinction is almost entirely lost, and the verb takes the same form in all persons and both numbers. Similarly, in the intent sense, will was historically used with the second and third person, while shall was reserved for the first person.
• The present tense is will and the past tense is would. Early Modern English had a past participle would which is now obsolete.

  Malory: ‘Many tymes he myghte haue had her and he had wold’. John Done: ‘If hee had would, hee might easily [...] occupied the Monarchy.’

• Formerly, will could be used elliptically for "will go" — e.g. "I'll to her lodgings" (Marlowe).
• See the usage note at shall.
• The present participle does not apply to the uses of will as an auxiliary verb.
• The form of will with the enclitic -n’t (or the present tense negative form of will in the analysis in which -n’t is an inflectional suffix) is won’t (“will not”) (rather than the form that would be expected based on a regular application of -n't, willn’t), while the corresponding form of the past tense would is wouldn’t.

Translations

See also

• Appendix:English modal verbs
• Appendix:English tag questions

Etymology 2

From Middle English wille, from Old English willa (“mind, will, determination, purpose, desire, wish, request, joy, delight, pleasure”) (compare verb willian), from Proto-Germanic *wiljô (“desire, will”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh?- (“to choose, wish”). Cognate with Dutch wil, German Wille, Swedish vilja, Norwegian vilje.

Alternative forms

• wille (obsolete)

Noun

will (plural wills)

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

2. One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands. [from 9th c.]

3. The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition. [from 10th c.]
4. (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. [from 14th c.]
5. (archaic) That which is desired; one's wish. [from 10th c.]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.ii:

     I auow by this most sacred head / Of my deare foster child, to ease thy griefe, / And win thy will [...].

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

Usage notes

• For example a strong will, free will, or independent will.

Synonyms

• (law): last will, last will and testament, testament

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English willen, from Old English willian (“to will”), from Proto-West Germanic *willj?n (“to will”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh?- (“to choose, wish”). Cognate with German Low German willen, German willen. The verb is not always distinguishable from Etymology 1, above.

Verb

will (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. [from 9th c.]
2. (transitive) To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document). [from 15th c.]

4. (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. [from 10th c.]
   • Send for music, / And will the cooks to use their best of cunning / To please the palate.

Synonyms

• (bequeath): bequeath, leave

Translations

See also

• bequeath
• going to
• modal verb
• testament
• volition
• voluntary

Cahuilla

Etymology

From Proto-Uto-Aztecan *wip

Noun

wíll

1. fat, grease

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /v?l/

Verb

will

1. first/third-person singular present of wollen