William

American  

[wil-yuhm] / ˈwɪl yəm /

noun

1. Prince William Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge, born 1982, heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom (son of Charles III).

2. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter W.

3. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning “will” and “helmet.”

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William British  

/ ˈwɪljəm /

noun

1. known as William the Lion. ?1143–1214, king of Scotland (1165–1214)

2. Prince. born 1982, Duke of Cambridge, first son of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 2011 he married Kate Middleton (born 1982); their son, Prince George, was born in 2013

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Example Sentences

If an editor long ago thought there wasn’t enough going on there, he was overlooking William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a fictional place with boundless stories.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

But the Fed disagreed, and two senators—including Banking Committee Chairman William Proxmire—amplified the objections.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Steadman, 29, was arrested in June 2024 and later charged with one count of blackmailing then Conservative MP William Wragg in order to get the telephone numbers of up to 12 individuals.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma said in a recent note to clients that both SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile will likely look to acquire more spectrum to add capacity to their networks, according to Barron’s.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

I can just make it out: William James Jarvis, of the Security Service.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin