noun
will
A legal document stating how someone's property should be distributed after death.
Her will leaves the family home to her two children.
Etymology
A will expresses a person's intentions. The legal document records those intentions for the distribution of property after death.
More examples
- He updates his will after the birth of his daughter.
- The lawyer keeps a signed copy of my will.
- They each write separate wills naming their beneficiaries.
Forms
will · wills
Similar words
- testament
- A formal synonym, often paired with 'will' in legal language.