Promise vs Will - What's the difference?
promise | will |
An oath or affirmation; a vow.
A transaction between two persons whereby the first person undertakes in the future to render some service or gift to the second person or devotes something valuable now and here to his use.
* 1668 July 3rd, , “Thomas Rue contra'' Andrew Hou?toun” in ''The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683),
Reason to expect improvement or success; potential.
* Washington Irving
* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), chapter=1
, title=(The China Governess) (computing, programming) A placeholder object that can be manipulated in code before it has been assigned a value.
(obsolete) Bestowal or fulfillment of what is promised.
* Bible, Acts i. 4
To commit to something or action; to make an oath; make a vow.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= To give grounds for expectation, especially of something good.
* {{quote-book, year=1897, author=
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 (archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)
One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.
One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.
(archaic) That which is desired; one's wish.
* 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.ii:
The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=May 27
, author=Nathan Rabin
, title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)
, work=The Onion AV Club
A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes.
* {{quote-book, year=1928, author=Lawrence R. Bourne
, title=Well Tackled!
, chapter=1 (archaic) To wish, desire.
* Bible, Matthew viii. 2
(intransitive) To instruct (that something be done) in one's will.
To try to make (something) happen by using one's will (intention).
* Shakespeare
* Beaumont and Fletcher
To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).
(rare) To wish, desire (something).
* 1944 , FJ Sheed, translating St. Augustine, Confessions :
(rare) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).
* 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Matthew XXVI:
*:
(auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action).
* 1994 , Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom , Abacus 2010, p. 28:
* 2009 , Stephen Bayley, The Telegraph , 24 Sep 09:
* 2011 , "Connubial bliss in America", The Economist :
(auxiliary) To choose to (do something), used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive).
(auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, formerly with some implication of volition when used in first person. Compare (shall).
* (rfdate) William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night Or What You Will , act IV:
* (rfdate) Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo , chapter LXXIII:
(auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to.
As nouns the difference between promise and will
is that promise is an oath or affirmation; a vow while will is (american football) a weak-side linebacker.As a verb promise
is to commit to something or action; to make an oath; make a vow.As a proper noun will is
also used as a formal given name.promise
English
Alternative forms
* promyseNoun
(en noun)pages 547–548
- He pur?ued Andrew Hou?toun upon his promi?e , to give him the like Sallary for the next year, and in ab?ence obtained him to be holden as confe?t and Decerned.
- My native country was full of youthful promise .
citation, passage=The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.}}
- He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father.
Verb
(promis)Engineers of a different kind, passage=Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.
- The clouds promise rain.
citation, passage=I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.}}
Usage notes
* This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . SeeSynonyms
*See also
* (election promise)Statistics
*External links
* *will
English
(wikipedia will)Etymology 1
From (etyl) wille, from (etyl) . Cognate with Dutch wil, German Wille, Swedish vilja. The verb is not always distinguishable from Etymology 2, below.Noun
(en noun)- He felt a great will to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
- Of course, man's will is often regulated by his reason.
- Eventually I submitted to my parents' will .
- I auow by this most sacred head / Of my deare foster child, to ease thy griefe, / And win thy will [...].
- Most creatures have a will to live.
citation, page= , passage=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).}}
citation, passage=“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?”}}
Usage notes
* Can be said to be strong, free, independent, etc.Derived terms
* at will * wilful, willful * willpower * with a willVerb
- And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord if thou wilt , thou canst make me clean.
- All the fans were willing their team to win the game.
- They willed me say so, madam.
- Send for music, / And will the cooks to use their best of cunning / To please the palate.
- He willed his stamp collection to the local museum.
Synonyms
* (bequeath) bequeath, leaveSee also
* bequeath * going to * modal verb * testament * volition * voluntaryEtymology 2
From (etyl) willen, wullen, wollen, from (etyl) willan, .It is not always distinguishable from Etymology 1, above.Verb
- Grant what Thou dost command, and command what Thou wilt .
- 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."
- As young men will , I did my best to appear suave and sophisticated.
- How telling is it that many women will volunteer for temporary disablement by wearing high heeled shoes that hobble them?
- So far neither side has scored a decisive victory, though each will occasionally claim one.
- 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.
- “I will' rejoin you, and we ' will fly ; but from this moment until then, let us not tempt Providence, Morrel; 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.”
- Unfortunately, only one of these gloves will actually fit over my hand.