WILLIES Definition & Meaning

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willies

[ wil-eez ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

(used with a plural verb)

Usually the willies. nervousness or fright; the jitters; the creeps:
That horror movie gave me the willies.

willies

/ 藞飞瑟濒瑟锄 /

plural noun

the willies slang.
nervousness, jitters, or fright (esp in the phrase give ( or get ) the willies )

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榶心vlog History and Origins

Origin of willies¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895鈥�1900; origin obscure; -s ³

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榶心vlog History and Origins

Origin of willies¹

C20: of unknown origin

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Idioms and Phrases

see under the creeps .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

鈥淲hat about my dad? Does he give you the germ willies too?鈥�

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Mr. Musk has said that Instagram 鈥渕akes people depressed鈥� and that Facebook, also owned by Meta, 鈥済ives me the willies.鈥�

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Each happens to be Black, and these strangers are giving Neve the willies, even though she is a light-skinned Black woman herself.

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My favorite horror movies this year laid off the flashy effects and instead gave me the unshakable willies the unshowy way: with creeping dread and uncertain stillness.

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The veg sandwich, in which a salty and steroidal oyster mushroom subs for the bird, just gives me the willies.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 漏 Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage庐 Idioms Dictionary copyright 漏 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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