• (Received Pronunciation,General American)IPA^(key):/wɛl/
• (General Australian)IPA^(key):/wel/
• (interjection, unstressed)IPA^(key):/wəl/,[wɫ̩]

• Audio(Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• Audio(General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɛl
• Homophone:wool(interjection or unstressed, some accents)
• Hyphenation:well

FromMiddle Englishwel,wal,wol,wele, fromOld Englishwel(“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), fromProto-Germanic*wela,*wala(“well”, literally“as wished, as desired”), fromProto-Indo-European*welh₁-(“wish, desire”).

Cognate withScotswele,weil(“well”),North Frisianwel,weil,wal(“well”),West Frisianwol(“well”),Dutchwel(“well”),Low Germanwol(“well”),Germanwohl(“well”),Norwegian andDanishvel(“well”),Swedishväl(“well”),Icelandicvel,val(“well”). Related towill.

• wall(dialectal)
• weel,weil(Scotland)
• welp(US, informal)

well (comparativebetter,superlativebest)

1. (manner)Accurately,competently,satisfactorily.

   He does his jobwell.

   • 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, inGraham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page266:

     In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along thewell-remembered road.

   • 1913,Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, inMr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London:D[aniel] Appleton and Company,→OCLC:

     A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done prettywell. Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.

   • 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, inThe Economist, volume408, number8845:

     Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would dowell in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.

   • 2016,VOA Learning English (public domain)

     This day is not goingwell.

     Audio(US):

     (file)

2. (manner)Completely,fully.

   awell done steak

   We’rewell beat now.

   • 1910,Emerson Hough, chapter II, inThe Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.:The Bobbs-Merrill Company,→OCLC:

     Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, […]. Even such a boat as theMount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacywell out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.

3. (degree) To asignificantdegree.

   That author iswell known.

   A monumentwell worth seeing

   • 1995 Feb, Luke Timothy Johnson, “The New Testament and the examined life: Thoughts on teaching”, inThe Christian Century, volume112, number 4, page108:

     Indeed, some readers may feel that I am beating a horse now alreadywell dead. But in fact, that dead horse is still being driven daily through the pages of introductory textbooks.

   • 2000, Colin Robinson, “Energy Economists and Economic Liberalism”, inEnergy Journal, volume21, number 2, page 1:

     Energy markets demonstrated in the 1970s and 1980s that they werewell capable of adapting to a perceived scarcity.

   • 2006, Spider Robinson,Callahan's legacy:

     neither of us was paying attention to any damn imaginary scoring judges -- we were bothwell content, if a little fatigued.

4. (degree,UK,Ireland,Commonwealth,slang)Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).
   • 1999, Drummond Pearson, “What Ash are doing right now...”, inalt.music.ash (Usenet):

     That guy rocks! I think he's called Matthew Lillard or sommat but he iswell cool in Scream.

   • 2002, jibaili, “FIFA 2003 How is it?”, inmicrosoft.public.xbox (Usenet):

     Hey Dude / FIFA 2003 iswell wicked, I've got FIFA 2002 on PS2, David Beckham on Xbox and Football Manager on Xbox too, out of all pf^[sic] them FIFA 2003 is easliy^[sic] the best.

   • 2003, Steve Eddy,Empower, Book 2:

     Hey, you should've seen it, it waswell good.

5. In adesirable manner; so as one could wish;satisfactorily;favourably;advantageously.

   I'm glad Joe got fired last week. I think we'rewell rid of him.

   • 1675,John Dryden,Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London:[…] T[homas] N[ewcomb] forHenry Herringman, […], published1676,→OCLC,(please specify the page number):

     Whatever now the omen prove, It bodedwell to you.

   • 1667,John Milton, “Book VII”, inParadise Lost. […], London:[…] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];[a]nd by Robert Boulter […];[a]nd Matthias Walker, […],→OCLC; republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […],1873,→OCLC:

     Know / In measure what the mind maywell contain.

   • October 10, 1714,Alexander Pope, letter toJoseph Addison

     All the world speakswell of you.

   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author, by a Lucky Accident, Finds Means to LeaveBlefuscu; and, after Some Difficulties, Returns Safe to his Native Country.”, inTravels into Several Remote Nations of the World.[…][Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London:[…]Benj[amin] Motte, […],→OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput),page147:

     My SonJohnny, named ſo after his Uncle, was at the Grammar School, and a towardly Child. My daughterBetty (who is nowwell married, and has Children) was then at her Needle-Work.

well (comparativebetterorweller,superlativebestorwellest)

1. In goodhealth.

   I had been sick, but now I'mwell.

   I've always been a healthy, fit woman, but right now I really don't feel verywell.

   • 1934 July 14, “Sinkiang Chief Predicts Early Suppression of Rebels”, inThe China Weekly Review‎^[2], volume69, number 7,→OCLC,page257:

     Mr. Peng said that the world-famous scientist, Sven Hedin, was kidnapped by troops under General Ma in south Sinkiang, but was released later, and is believed to be safe andwell at Akosu.

2. (hypercorrect)Good,content.

   “How are you?” — “I'mwell, thank you!”

   • c.1610–1611 (date written),William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward] Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act V, scene iii]:

     Paulina. As she liu'd peerelesse,
     So her dead likenesse I doe well beleeue
     Excells what euer yet you look'd vpon,
     Or hand of Man hath done: therefore I keepe it
     Louely, apart. But here it is: prepare
     To see the Life as liuely mock'd, as euer
     Still Sleepe mock'd Death: behold, and say 'tiswell.

3. (uncommon)Prudent;good; well-advised.
   • 2014, Tom Mitchell, Assoc. Prof., “Psych 308/309 GUIDE FOR WRITING PROJECT REPORT”, inAcademic website‎^[3], archived fromthe original on2014-12-04:

     In this respect it would bewell for you to depart from the standard format and to indicate why you did what you did.

   • 2004 September 1, Sleiman Y. Naddaf, MD with B. David Collier, MD, Abdelhamid H. Elgazzar, MD, and Magdy M. Khalil, MSc, “Technical Errors in Planar Bone Scanning”, in Kathy S. Thomas, editor,Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology‎^[4], volume32, number 3, Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging, archived fromthe original on2021-04-23, page149:

     When executing bone scan protocols, it iswell for one to be aware of how key deviations from optimal technique can degrade image quality.

   • 1897, National Association of Railway Surgeons,Railway surgeon, page191:

     On leaving the operating table it iswell to put the patient in a bed previously warmed and supplied with hot cans.

4. (archaic, now chieflyBermuda) Good to eat;tasty,delicious.
   • 1984, Peter A. Smith, Fred M. Barritt,Bermewjan Vurds, Island Press:

     This wahoo tastesval.

   • 2013 September 5, James Burton, “Burton's Banter: Our rich dialogue — as moreish as a cold burr...”, inThe Bermuda Sun‎^[5], archived fromthe original on2022-12-12:

     Drunk, like, a gallon of orange mindral. Tastedwel.

• (Bermuda)val,vell

well

1. Used toacknowledge astatement orsituation.

   “The car is broken.” “Well, we could walk to the movies instead.”

   “I didn't like the music.” “Well, I thought it was good.”

   I forgot to pack the tent!Well, I guess we’re sleeping under the stars tonight.

   • 1913,Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter V, inMr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London:D[aniel] Appleton and Company,→OCLC:

     “Well,” I says, “I cal’late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.

   • 1936,Robert Frost, “The Vindictives”, inA Further Range:

     If gold pleased the conqueror,well,
     That gold should be the one thing
     The conqueror henceforth should lack.

2. An exclamation of sarcastic surprise (often doubled or tripled and spoken in a lowering intonation).

   Well,well,well, what do we have here?

3. An exclamation of indignance.

   Well! There was no need to say that in front of my mother!

4. Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.
   • 1897 December (indicated as1898),Winston Churchill, chapter IV, inThe Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.:The Macmillan Company; London:Macmillan & Co., Ltd.,→OCLC:

     “Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.

   It was a bit...well... too loud.

5. Used in speech to fill gaps, particularly at the beginning of a response to a question;filled pause.

   “So what have you been doing?” “Well, we went for a picnic, and then it started raining so we came home early.”

   • 2016,VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Well, I am sorry. — It’s okay, Anna.

     Audio(US):

     (file)

6. (Ireland)Used as a greeting, short for "Are you well?"

   Well lads. How's things?

7. Used as a question to demand an answer from someone reluctant to answer.

   And what do you think you're doing? ...Well?

• (reluctance):like,you know
• (filled pause):I mean,like
• (acknowledgment of previous statement):so
• (indignant):see,look,as if

FromMiddle Englishwelle, fromOld Englishwielle(“well”), fromProto-West Germanic*wallijā, fromProto-Germanic*wallijǭ(“well, swirl, wave”), fromProto-Indo-European*welH-(“to turn; wind; roll”).

Cognate withWest Frisianwel(“well”),Dutchwel(“well”),German Low GermanWell(“well”),GermanWelle(“wave”),Danishvæld(“well; spring”),Swedishväl(“well”),Icelandicvella(“boiling; bubbling; eruption”).

well (pluralwells)

1. Aholesunk into theground as a source ofwater,oil,natural gas or other fluids.
   • 1611,The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker, […],→OCLC,Johniv:11:

     The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and thewell is deep.

2. A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; aspring.
   • 1646 (indicated as1645),John Milton,Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London:[…] Ruth Raworth forHumphrey Mosely, […],→OCLC:

     Begin, then, sisters of the sacredwell.

3. A smalldepression suitable for holdingliquid or other objects.

   Make awell in the dough mixture and pour in the milk.

4. (figurative) A source of supply.
   • 1596,Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto II”, inThe Faerie Queene. […], London:[…] [John Wolfe] forWilliam Ponsonbie,→OCLC, stanza 32:

     Dan Chaucer,well of English undefyled

   • 1827, [John Keble], “St. Philip and St. James”, inThe Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume II, Oxford, Oxfordshire:[…][B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; andC[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […],→OCLC,page130:

     Awell of serious thought and pure, / Too deep for earthly light.

   • 1989 February 5, Craig G. Harris, “Your Life's All In Your Dreams And Your Dreams Are All In Your Life”, inGay Community News, volume16, number29, page 9:

     News of the deaths of James Baldwin and Richard Bruce Nugent in 1987 seemed to signal the death of an era — an era which produced works of monumental significance for Black lesbians and gay men; works such asGiovanni's Room,Just Above My Head, and "Smoke, Lillies, and Jade." As a fledgling Black gay writer, this was thewell from which I drew succor.

5. (nautical) A vertical, cylindricaltrunk in aship, reaching down to the lowest part of thehull, through which thebilge pumps operate.
6. (nautical) Thecockpit of asailboat.
7. (nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.
8. (nautical) A vertical passage in thestern into which anauxiliaryscrewpropeller may be drawn up out of the water.
9. (military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.
10. (architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; awellhole.
11. The open space between thebench and thecounsel tables in acourtroom.
12. (metalworking) The lower part of afurnace, into which the metal falls.
13. Awell drink.

    They're having a special tonight: $1wells.

14. (video games) Theplayfield ofTetris and similar video games, into which theblocks fall.
    • 2005, James Paul Gee,Why Video Games are Good for Your Soul:

      Tetris, the most widely played computer game of all time, is a problem-solving puzzle game.[…] The player attempts to lock the falling shape smoothly together with the shapes in thewell.

15. (biology) In a microtiter plate, each of the small equal circular or square sections which serve as test tubes.
16. (graphical user interface) The region of aninterface that containstabs.
    • 2011, Ted LoCascio,Using Adobe InDesign CS5, Enhanced Edition, pages2-12:

      You can reposition the order of documents in the window by clicking and dragging the tabs, or you can drag a tab out of thewell and view a document in its own floating window.

    • 2016, Jeff Martin,Visual Studio 2015 Cookbook, page15:

      You should now have three documents open with their tabs showing in the tabwell (this refers to the row of tabs for each open document in the editor), as shown in the following screenshot:[…]

• (excavation in the earth, from which run branches or galleries):shaft

FromMiddle Englishwellen, from a merger ofOld Englishweallan (intransitive) andwiellan (transitive), both meaning “to boil.” Further fromProto-Germanic*wallaną and*wallijaną. Doublet ofwall.

Cognate withGermanwallen(“boil, seethe”),Danishvælde(“gush”),Norwegian Nynorskvella and outside Germanic, withAlbanianvalë(“hot, boiling”).

well (third-person singular simple presentwells,present participlewelling,simple past and past participlewelled)

1. (intransitive) To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.
   • 1697,Virgil, “The Tenth Book of theÆneis”, inJohn Dryden, transl.,The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London:[…]Jacob Tonson, […],→OCLC:

     [Blood]welled from out the wound.

   • 1824,William Cullen Bryant,A Forest Hymn:

     [Yon spring]wells softly forth.

2. (intransitive) To have something seep out of the surface.

   Her eyeswelled with tears.

• upwell
• well up