well
adverb /wel/
/wel/
(better
Idioms /ˈbetə(r)/
/ˈbetər/
, best /best/
/best/
)- in a good, right or acceptable way
- They played well in the tournament.
- The team work well together.
- The kids all behaved well.
- The conference was very well organized.
- Well done! (= expressing admiration for what somebody has done)
- His campaign was not going well.
- These animals make very good pets if treated well (= with kindness).
- People spoke well of (= spoke with approval of) him.
- She took it very well (= did not react too badly), all things considered.
- They lived well (= in comfort and spending a lot of money) and were generous with their money.
- She was determined to marry well (= marry somebody rich and/or with a high social position).
Extra Examples- It's important to value and treat employees well.
- The play has been well reviewed.
- The performance is well served by excellent designs and lighting.
- The product has been well received by consumers.
- She is well placed to explain the situation.
- Money spent on looking after your health is money very well spent.
- Tickets are selling well for the concert.
- a well written essay
- His work is well represented in the museum.
- a well educated young woman
- The dress fitted well.
- Goodnight! Sleep well!
- Students are responding well to the changes.
- These plants perform well in stony soil.
Grammar Point wellwell- Compound adjectives beginning with well are generally written with no hyphen when they are used alone after a verb, but with a hyphen when they come before a noun:
- She is well dressed.
- a well-dressed woman.
- The comparative and superlative forms are usually formed with better and best:
- better-known poets
- the best-dressed person in the room.
- completely and properly
- Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- The surface must be well prepared before you start to paint.
- How well do you know Carla?
- He's well able to take care of himself.
- a well trained dog
- to a great extent or degree
- He was driving at well over the speed limit.
- She is well aware of the dangers.
- They are very well suited to each other.
- a well-loved tale
- The castle is well worth a visit.
- He liked her well enough (= to a reasonable degree) but he wasn't going to make a close friend of her.
- (British English, informal) I was well annoyed, I can tell you.
Extra Examples- The party was planned well in advance.
- a well deserved reputation
- She knew my family very well.
- a well thought-out plan
- The process is already well underway.
- a well equipped kitchen
- can/could welleasily
- She could well afford to pay for it herself.
- can/could/may/might wellprobably
- You may well be right.
- It may well be that the train is delayed.
- can/could/may/might wellwith good reason
- I can't very well leave now.
- I couldn't very well refuse to help them, could I?
- ‘What are we doing here?’ ‘You may well ask (= I don't really know either).’
Word Originadverb Old English wel(l), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wel and German wohl; probably also to the modal verb will.
Idioms
as well (as somebody/something)
- in addition to somebody/something; too
- Are they coming as well?
- They sell books as well as newspapers.
- She is a talented musician as well as being a photographer.
Which Word? also / as well / tooalso / as well / too- Also is more formal than as well and too, and it usually comes before the main verb or after be:
- I went to New York last year, and I also spent some time in Washington.
- ‘I’m going home now.’ ‘I’ll come too.’.
- When you want to add a second negative point in a negative sentence, use not…either:
- She hasn’t phoned and she hasn’t written either.
- You can have a burger, but you can’t have fries as well.
be doing well
- to be getting healthier after an illness; to be in good health after a birth
- Mother and baby are doing well.
be well on the way to something/doing something
- to have nearly achieved something and be going to achieve it soon
- She is well on the way to recovery.
- He is well on the way to establishing himself among the top ten players in the world.
be well out of something
- (British English, informal) to be lucky that you are not involved in something unpleasant or difficult to deal with
- I don’t know exactly what’s been going on. I only know that you’re well out of it.
be well up in something
- to know a lot about something
- He's well up in all the latest developments.
bloody/fucking well
- (British English, taboo, slang) used to emphasize an angry statement or an order
- You can bloody well keep your job—I don't want it!
- ‘I’m not coming.’ ‘Yes, you bloody well are!’
- You're fucking well coming whether you want to or not.
bloody well
- (British English, taboo, slang) used to emphasize an angry statement or an order
- You can bloody well keep your job—I don't want it!
- ‘I’m not coming.’ ‘Yes, you bloody well are!’
do well
- to be successful
- Jack is doing very well at school.
do well by somebody
- to treat somebody generously
do well for yourself
- to become successful or richTopics Successb2
do well out of somebody/something
- to make a profit or get money from somebody/something
do well to do something
- to be sensible or wise to do something
- He would do well to concentrate more on his work.
- You did well to sell when the price was high.
fucking well
- (especially British English, taboo, slang) used to emphasize an angry statement or an order
- You're fucking well coming whether you want to or not.
jolly well
- (old-fashioned, British English, informal) used to emphasize a statement when you are annoyed about something
- If you don't come now, you can jolly well walk home!
know something as well as I do
- used to criticize somebody by saying that they should realize or understand something
- You know as well as I do that you're being unreasonable.
know full well
- to be very aware of a fact and unable to deny or ignore it
- He knew full well what she thought of it.
leave/let well alone (British English)
(North American English let well enough alone)
- to not get involved in something that you have no connection with
- When it comes to other people's arguments, it's better to leave well alone.
(you, etc.) may/might as well be hanged/hung for a sheep as (for) a lamb
- (saying) if you are going to be punished for doing something wrong, whether it is a big or small thing, you may as well do the big thing
may/might (just) as well do something
- used to say that something seems the best thing to do in the situation that you are in, although you may not really want to do it
- If no one else wants it, we might as well give it to him.
- used to say that there is no real difference between two things that you might do
- If you are going to have sugar, you may as well have a bar of chocolate.
mean well
- to have good intentions, although their effect may not be good
pretty much/well
(British English also pretty nearly)
(North American English also pretty near)
- (informal) almost; almost completely
- One dog looks pretty much like another to me.
- He goes out pretty well every night.
- The first stage is pretty near finished.
well and truly
- (informal) completely
- By that time we were well and truly lost.
well away (British English, informal)
- having made good progress
- If we got Terry to do that, we'd be well away.
- drunk or in a deep sleep
well in (with somebody)
- (informal) to be good friends with somebody, especially somebody important
- She seems to be well in with all the right people.