well

well: well¹

adverb (better, best)

1》 in a good or satisfactory way.

    ↘in a condition of prosperity or comfort.

    ↘archaic luckily; opportunely: hail fellow, well met.

2》 in a thorough manner.

    ↘to a great extent or degree; very much.

    ↘Brit. informal very; extremely: he was well out of order.

3》 very probably; in all likelihood.

    ↘without difficulty.

    ↘with good reason.

adjective (better, best)

1》 in good health; free or recovered from illness.

    ↘in a satisfactory state or position.

2》 sensible; advisable.

exclamation used to express surprise, anger, resignation, etc., or when pausing in speech.

Phrases

as well

1》 in addition; too.

2》 (as well or just as well) with equal reason or an equally good result.

    ↘sensible, appropriate, or desirable.

be well out of Brit. informal be fortunate to be no longer involved in.

be well up on (or in) know a great deal about.

leave (or let) well (N. Amer. enough) alone refrain from interfering with or trying to improve something.

very well used to express agreement or understanding.

well and truly completely.

Derivatives

wellness noun

Origin

OE wel(l), of Gmc origin; prob. related to the verb will¹.

Usage

The adverb well is often used in combination with past participles to form adjectival compounds. The general stylistic principle for hyphenation is that if the adjectival compound is placed attributively (i.e. before the noun), it should be hyphenated (a well-intentioned remark) but that if it is placed predicatively (i.e. standing alone after the verb), it should not be hyphenated (her remarks were well intentioned). In this dictionary, the unhyphenated form is generally the only one given.

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well²

noun

1》 a shaft sunk into the ground to obtain water, oil, or gas.

    ↘a depression made to hold liquid.

2》 a plentiful source or supply: a deep well of sympathy.

3》 an enclosed space in the middle of a building, giving room for stairs or a lift or allowing light or ventilation.

4》 Brit. the place in a law court where the clerks and ushers sit.

5》 Physics a region of minimum potential.

6》 archaic a water spring or fountain.

verb (often well up) (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill.

↘(of an emotion) develop and become more intense.

Origin

OE wella, of Gmc origin.

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Well — Well, adv. [Compar. and superl. wanting, the deficiency being supplied by better and best, from another root.] [OE. wel, AS. wel; akin to OS., OFries., & D. wel, G. wohl, OHG. wola, wela, Icel. & Dan. vel, Sw. v[ a]l, Goth. wa[ i]la; originally… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Well to do — Well Well, adv. [Compar. and superl. wanting, the deficiency being supplied by better and best, from another root.] [OE. wel, AS. wel; akin to OS., OFries., & D. wel, G. wohl, OHG. wola, wela, Icel. & Dan. vel, Sw. v[ a]l, Goth. wa[ i]la;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Well — Well, n. [OE. welle, AS. wella, wylla, from weallan to well up, surge, boil; akin to D. wel a spring or fountain. ????. See {Well}, v. i.] [1913 Webster] 1. An issue of water from the earth; a spring; a fountain. [1913 Webster] Begin, then,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
well — well1 [wel] n. [ME welle < OE wella, akin to weallan, to boil up, akin to Ger welle, wave, wallen, to boil < IE base * wel , to turn, roll > WALK, L volvere, to roll] 1. a flow of water from the earth; natural spring and pool 2. a hole… … English World dictionary
Well — is an English adverb with irregular comparison. Well may also refer to:* Water well, an artificial excavation or structure for the purpose of withdrawing water * Oil well, a hole drilled through the Earth s surface for the purpose of extracting… … Wikipedia
well — Ⅰ. well [1] ► ADVERB (better, best) 1) in a good or satisfactory way. 2) in a condition of prosperity or comfort. 3) in a favourable or approving manner. 4) in a thorough manner. 5) … English terms dictionary
Well — Well, a. [1913 Webster] 1. Good in condition or circumstances; desirable, either in a natural or moral sense; fortunate; convenient; advantageous; happy; as, it is well for the country that the crops did not fail; it is well that the mistake was… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Well — bezeichnet eine Vertiefung in einer Mikrotiterplatte Well ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Günther van Well (1922–1993), deutscher Diplomat und Staatssekretär Roman Well (eigentlich Ruvelis Leiba Sobolevicius, später Robert Soblen;… … Deutsch Wikipedia
well — well, well There is much uncertainty about whether forms such as well( )made and well( )received should contain a hyphen or be spelt as two words. The normal rule is that the combination is hyphened when it occurs in attributive position (i.e.… … Modern English usage
well- — well, well There is much uncertainty about whether forms such as well( )made and well( )received should contain a hyphen or be spelt as two words. The normal rule is that the combination is hyphened when it occurs in attributive position (i.e.… … Modern English usage
well — [wel] noun [countable] another name for an oil well * * * well UK US /wel/ noun [C] ► NATURAL RESOURCES a deep hole in the ground from which you can get water: »These two tributaries of the Yellowstone River supply water for farms and wells in… … Financial and business terms

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