shall
plan to, intend to, or expect to: I shall go later.
will have to, is determined to, or definitely will: You shall do it. He shall do it.
(in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to: The meetings of the council shall be public.
(used interrogatively in questions, often in invitations): Shall we go?
Origin of shall
1confusables note For shall
Words that may be confused with shall
- shall , will (see confusables note at the current entry)
Words Nearby shall
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shall in a sentence
Who knew that “we shall overcome” meant “we, the few, shall book covers every decade or so, maybe, sometimes, if we are in style.”
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem | Danielle Belton | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBlessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
But time and history will render an unambiguous verdict on this matter, as Rubio shall soon see.
But alas, a snub is yet another of the many indignities Valerie Cherish shall endure.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More | Kevin Fallon | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt demands only that judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.”
A wise man hateth not the commandments and justices, and he shall not be dashed in pieces as a ship in a storm.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousHe that seeketh the law, shall be filled with it: and he that dealeth deceitfully, shall meet with a stumblingblock therein.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousIt seems very strange that I shall actually know Liszt at last, after hearing of him so many years.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayNow first we shall want our pupil to understand, speak, read and write the mother tongue well.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsWe shall recover again some or all of the steadfastness and dignity of the old religious life.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
British Dictionary definitions for shall
/ (ʃæl, unstressed ʃəl) /
(esp with I or we as subject) used as an auxiliary to make the future tense: we shall see you tomorrow Compare will 1 (def. 1)
(with you, he, she, it, they, or a noun as subject)
used as an auxiliary to indicate determination on the part of the speaker, as in issuing a threat: you shall pay for this!
used as an auxiliary to indicate compulsion, now esp in official documents: the Tenant shall return the keys to the Landlord
used as an auxiliary to indicate certainty or inevitability: our day shall come
(with any noun or pronoun as subject, esp in conditional clauses or clauses expressing doubt) used as an auxiliary to indicate nonspecific futurity: I don't think I shall ever see her again; he doubts whether he shall be in tomorrow
Origin of shall
1usage For shall
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse