be willing to — ready or prepared to do something voluntarily
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: ready or prepared to do something voluntarily
Pronunciation (IPA): /bi ˈwɪlɪŋ tu/
Example Sentences
- My cat is willing to wake me up at 5 AM, but not willing to catch mice.
- I'm willing to work overtime if you're willing to pay extra.
- He's willing to eat anything except vegetables - typical teenager behavior.
be willing to
VERB[/bi ˈwɪlɪŋ tu/]
ready or prepared to do something voluntarily
He was willing to carry her heavy suitcase up five flights without complaint.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The phrase 'be willing to' derives from Middle English 'willen' (to desire or wish), with 'willing' forming the present participle expressing voluntary disposition. The construction developed to denote readiness or inclination to perform an action based on one's own volition.
Breakdown
will (desire, volition) + -ing (state or condition) + to (infinitive marker). The morphological structure combines the noun 'will' with the suffix '-ing' to form an adjective expressing a state of readiness, followed by 'to' introducing the infinitive verb.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat is willing to wake me up at 5 AM, but not willing to catch mice.”
“I'm willing to work overtime if you're willing to pay extra.”
“He's willing to eat anything except vegetables - typical teenager behavior.”
“Are you willing to take responsibility for this decision?”
📚Related Words
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