English

Prepositional phrase

with a will

1. (idiomatic, dated) With willingness and zeal; with all one's heart or strength; earnestly; heartily.
   • 1859, Lord Alfred Tennyson, "The Grandmother", stanza 15:

     So Willy and I were wedded: I wore a lilac gown;

     And the ringers rang with a will, and he gave the ringers a crown.

   • 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd, ch. 47:

     Backing their oars and putting the boat about, they pulled towards him with a will.

   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, ch. 10:

     And then the whole crew bore chorus:—

     "Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

     And at the third "Ho!" drove the bars before them with a will.

   • 1914, James Joyce, "After the Race" in Dubliners:

     Then an impromptu square dance, the men devising original figures. What merriment! Jimmy took his part with a will.

   • 1934 March 26, "Books: Hurstwurst" (book review of Anitra's Dance by Fannie Hurst), Time (retrieved 1 May 2014):

     Many a reader whose appetite rejoices in hearty fare tucked in his napkin, smacked his lips and fell to with a will.

References

• with a will at OneLook Dictionary Search